9781950890996_TXT_eBook
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The first place he wanted to hit was the zoo. It might be a little too cold for the animals, but he was sure they could stir up some fun food while they were at it. Tyler decided they were going to purchase this rig and have it ready to go at a moment’s notice from now on. Just to be with his family.
Chapter 10
Addie sat as still as she could as she watched the couple in front of her. They were her targets, and today she was going to take them out of the picture. Not kill them, as she had done before, but snatch them and moved them to a different country so that they’d be safe. But first, she had to wait for them to be “killed.” The man after them wouldn’t stop until they were dead. Well, he’d at least think he’d done his job. And that was what she was here for.
This was the first time she’d done a job like this, taking someone out to keep them safe. Addie wasn’t even sure she liked the couple. They were a pain in the ass, as well as arrogant and snobbish.
Are you sure that someone is going to shoot at them? If you ask me, they should have been shot a long time ago. Tell me, how the hell does one do things with nails that long? I mean, Christ, can you imagine having to…well, you know, wipe your ass with them? I’d be a mess after one time. Smiling, she told Gabe, who was helping them out with this, that she was very sure that she had someone doing it for her. That’s even nastier than the other thought I had. By the way, you do realize that me being a doctor and waiting for someone to shoot at someone is creepy weird.
What I do know is that if they can be moved away safe and healthy, you’re the man to do it. Olivia is having fun. I think being the notorious wife is nothing that suits her, but she’s doing well, don’t you think? Maybe you should ask her about the whole butt thing. She’d more than likely have plenty to say on that. Gabe laughed, and she continued to speak to him. I heard her tell Caleb to act clueless, like a professor would. I had to laugh when he slumped his shoulders over and— He’s here, Gabe. Just wait for my cue.
They’d gotten help from Carmen, their vampire friend, to change the appearance of Caleb and Olivia to look like the people that they were protecting. To everyone in the hotel but them, they looked just like the man and the woman. It was the only way they knew of to keep the man hired to kill Mark and Susie Terek from actually killing them—having someone else, immortals, take their place.
Once Everette shot them, he would be arrested for murder as soon as he left the hotel lobby. No one else would come after the couple, who had singlehandedly figured out how to bring down the biggest drug manufacturer in the United States, because they’d hopefully believe the Tereks were dead. It was her job to make sure they were as safe as they could make them. That was their payment, so to speak, for helping the Feds with this job.
Everette moved around the lobby of the big hotel. Caleb and Olivia were enjoying a nice dinner on the government’s tab. The government had paid to have them flown out here to the hotel, as well as given them a clothing allowance. The nails, as Gabe had noticed, were perfectly matched to the dress Olivia had on, as well as the tie that Caleb was sporting.
I want you to know that this moron is making me nervous. Why doesn’t he just sit down like a normal person and be done with all this hopping around? Addie told Caleb that he wasn’t a normal person but a killer, and she thought he was finding the best way to kill them and get out of the place not caught. Will he? Get away, I mean? I hope not.
No, he will not. While Gabe is there to pronounce the two of you dead, I’m going to be going after Everette and taking him into custody. He will be arrested, and that will be the end of it. It wouldn’t, of course. Everette would never make it to the station. Carmen was going to take care of that part. Once the two of you are picked up by the morgue, you’ll be released from the magic that you have over you, and you two can go back to the hotel you’re staying in and have a lovely weekend.
Is someone going to be waiting to kill him on the other end, Addie? She couldn’t lie to Caleb, so she didn’t answer him. I see. While I don’t care for most people to be condemned without a trial, in this, I’m happy to know that he won’t be free to hunt others down that the mob wants out of the picture. You have a difficult job, and I don’t envy you for it. But I’m very proud that it’s you doing this and not someone that would do a half-assed job of it.
Thank you. That means a great deal to me. She saw Everette get up and moved by their table. He’s going to pop Olivia, first then you. The reason, before you ask, is so that she doesn’t become hysterical and scream if he were to kill you first. Just stand up like you were told to do when you see her pretend to be dead.
Addie thought that if Caleb stood up rather than being shot in a sitting position, no one else would be hurt by this. Standing, Caleb was tall enough that if the shot were to go long or wide, with his height, it would hit a wall and not a person that might have stood too when Olivia was shot.
As soon as Olivia slumped over, looking, for all the world could see, dead, Caleb did just as he was told. They were both shot before she could look to see where Gabe was in the big dining room. She heard him coming as he kept telling people he was a doctor and needed everyone out of the way.
Following Everette out the door, she saw him turn and look at her just as he left the revolving door. The moment he recognized her, he smiled. Him lifting his gun made her think that he knew why she was there when he was—to kill him too. There was no choice for her now. She lifted her gun and shot him in the head twice. It was that or he’d have tried to kill her. Carmen appeared beside her, lifted the body up, and took him to the awaiting car. She’d never been so glad of their friendship as she was at that moment.
Addie would find out later what had happened to the body so she’d have her story straight, but for now, she needed to make sure Gabe and the others were all right. Things never turned out right no matter how many times you practiced them, so she wanted to make sure what they were doing would go well. Addie didn’t want anything to happen to her family. None of them.
“They’re both dead. Someone call an ambulance.” Gabe didn’t so much as look at her when he turned to the man at the bar. “Did you hear me? I said to call an ambulance for this. Did anyone see who did this?”
Of course he’d be playing his part well. The man was the coolest person she knew under pressure. That was the reason she’d used him. That, and he really was a doctor.
As if they knew they’d be asked about what had happened and who had done it, each person knew everything about the shooting. Not only that, but they had a good description of Everette as well. Or so they thought. To some he was a young man with a ponytail down his back. To others he was a short man with a beard. He had on a green hoodie. A black scarf over his face. There were as many descriptions of the shooter as there were people in the room. Again, it was just what they had wanted. That way the disappearance of Everette would never come to light or be questioned. There would be no footage either, not on the hotel cameras or phones. Everything had been disabled for this.
Gabe stayed with the dead bodies while she moved out of the way of the police. All she needed to do at this point was to make sure that the identifications of Mark and Susie were found on the bodies, and that no one questioned why they were here in the first place. And to keep them all from harm.
The police had arrived by the time the ambulance did. Their IDs were taken from them and the bodies were taken away. Gabe worked with the police, so he knew what he was to tell them and what he’d seen go down. For his part, he only knew that he’d heard the shots and nothing more. Nor did he know the couple. He’d just been in the right place at the right time.
Statements were taken from everyone in the room. Carmen showed up just as people were asked not to leave the area just yet, and she sat down beside her. Addie told her that she was sorry that her end didn’t go as planned.
“Dead is dead, my dear. We got the same results, and no one will need to worry a
bout him any longer. Nor will his body ever be found. The news stations will be given as much detail as they need for the mobsters to know that Everette did his job as he was paid to do.” Addie asked her if she knew which one had ordered the hit. “I believe I do. And on that note, he shan’t do anything like that again either. I believe he was very depressed in his jail cell, and took his own life not an hour ago.”
She liked that Carmen and she could work together well. The woman was wonderfully talented, and good at being a partner in crime. When things were being shut down at the hotel, Addie went back to the hotel where Gabe and Xander, who had come for her peace of mind, were staying with her, and waited. Addie had no idea when Caleb and Olivia would arrive, but she didn’t think it would be that long now.
~*~
Gabe didn’t much care for being on the wrong side of the law, but today had been different. He’d been helping to rid the world of a person who would continue to kill so long as someone paid his price. And there didn’t seem to be any end to the things people would pay to have done anymore. He didn’t want to be jaded about what he did, but even this hadn’t surprised him when Addie came to ask for his help. So in this, he was glad that he’d been able to be a part of it.
Caleb meet him at the door of the hotel and hugged him like he’d not seen him in years rather than just a few hours ago. Olivia was on the phone, talking to his parents, when Caleb pulled him into the room. Addie was in the room too, sitting on the couch with her eyes closed. Sitting next to her was Xander. Gabe asked him how she was doing, but it was Addie that answered him.
“Better now that you’re here and everyone is safe. Caleb has been giddy that things worked out for him and Olivia. I don’t think he trusted me on this.” Caleb laughed. “Did you?”
“Yes and no. But I have to say when I saw Olivia get shot like she did, it threw me for a moment. I’ve seen dead bodies before. Hell, even the dead after they were killed. But I’ve never witnessed it actually happening. Even knowing that no one was really hurt didn’t make me a little overwhelmed for a few minutes.” Addie took his hand into hers when he finally sat down on the floor and thanked her. “Are you all right?”
“Just exhausted. I was so worried, like you were, that it wouldn’t come off the way we’d planned.” She told him what had transpired outside the hotel, and he could tell that it had bothered her a little. “But everyone is safe, the bad guy was taken care of, and the Tereks can go on with their lives as if nothing happened. I hope so anyway. Did anyone get this bad vibe from them? Or was it just me?”
“Yes, I did. And while I know that some people that are given new identities are prone to be stupid about it, I just hope they know how much trouble you went to for them to be safe.” Addie told him she hoped so too. “What are you two going to do for the rest of the afternoon? I’m up for a nice dinner if you guys are game.”
She laughed, which was what he’d hoped for. “To be honest, I’d really like to just go take a walk and shop. If you’re really up for it you can join Xander and I. Not for anything in particular, but just window shopping to get my head clear about this.”
“You don’t seem to be sure about this. Why is that? Is it the vibes you were talking about?” Addie looked at him, and he could tell that was exactly what was wrong with her. “Addie, tell me so you can bounce it off me for a little while.”
“It was entirely too easy. Too smooth.” Not saying anything, as he had no idea if it had gone the way she wanted or not, Gabe thought of how she had planned it and how, with the exception of Everette being killed by her, it had gone by the book. “I’ve spoken to Carmen. She’s going to see what she can find out for me. I have a feeling that we’ve been played. By who, I don’t know, but someone is playing us.”
It wasn’t long after they ate dinner at a nice restaurant that Carmen joined them on their walk around the town. She was nervous about something, which in turn made him that way as well. When Carmen suggest they go into a shop near them, they all did so without a second’s hesitation. After Xander was told to pull his phone out and pretend to speak on it, Carmen told them what she’d been able to unearth about the Tereks. It was as bad as, if not worse than, she’d thought it might be.
“They’re both dead. Not by me directly, but by their plane going down. I think you were right, Addie. It had been too smooth, and the reason why might surprise you. It did me. However, you’ll be happy to know that they weren’t as lily white clean as we were told. There was a plant, a trader in the home offices of the FBI, who wanted them alive.” Xander asked her why, pretending to be on the phone. “His plan was to make sure that he had a little on the side with the drugs coming into this country. Not only had he known all along about their part in the manufacturing of the drugs, but he was supplying them with information that would keep them from getting caught. When there was going to be a raid on their place, he’d give them ample time to get out to move on to safer grounds. But someone caught wind of his part in it, and Agent Aaron Dale Shoe was in a horrific plane accident this morning that killed him, his partner, as well as both the Tereks. The pilot was the only one that I had anything to do with in this whole thing. They were headed to a new country with their new identifications to start over.”
“What sort of anything did you have to do with the pilot?” Carmen looked at him and licked her lips. “Okay, I get it. I don’t need any more information, thanks. So their plane went down, along with their plans to start up fresh. Did anyone from the main office where Agent Shoe worked know anything about their plans?”
“They do now. He left a note.” He didn’t ask. Gabe loved Carmen a great deal, but she scared him too. Not just because she was a vampire, but because she also had a great deal of magic due to her age. “You’re not much fun, Gabe. I was hoping to make you a little pale. You take all the fun away.”
“Good.” Carmen threw back her head and laughed. Gabe joined her when Addie and Xander did. “What else do we need to know? I don’t know about the rest of the people in on this thing, but I’d like to take my pretty wife on a little vacation to wash all this away from us.”
“I agree with you on that. Take Rayne someplace tropical, Gabe. Leave your phones behind, or with me, and go away. The children are in good hands, and you need this more than you realize it.” Gabe reached out to Rayne to ask her if she’d go with him. She was nearly to the hotel when he contacted her. When she agreed, he decided that he’d do just what Carmen suggested and handed her his phone. “Then when you return, you’ll be in a good frame of mind and more relaxed. Go now.”
They did. Neither of them had anything to wear but what they had on. Carmen took their phones and promised to let his family know what they were doing. Gabe figured that in a couple of weeks, they’d return and really would feel better. Right now, he just wanted peace and quiet, and a place to make love to his wife without any interruptions for a while.
~*~
Caleb was glad that things had worked out. Not perfectly, but for his and Olivia’s part in this, things could not have gone better. It had weirded him out a little to see his wife looking like she really had been killed, but before he could have reacted, if he’d been about to do something like that and ruin things, he’d been shot as well. Pulling her body to his, he asked her if she was all right.
“I am. Just thinking about the lengths we go to to help one another. I mean, for a family, we sure do get into some strange and hairy situations, don’t you think?” Caleb laughed. “Seriously, I’m glad to be able to help, but Christ, being shot in the head for the good of the country? Don’t you think we need something nice for us for a change?”
“Actually, now that you mention it, we should get something nice out of it. I haven’t any idea what it would be, but I think we’ve done more than our fair share of things, and it would be wonderful to have a couple of perks come our way for a change. If you could have anything you want, no strings attached, what would it
be? I don’t have any surprises for you, I’m just curious what it is you’d like.”
She pulled away from him and sat on the couch. This was his favorite room in the house. The sunroom had become the most used room in the entire place. Even more so than the bathrooms or bedrooms. It had been here in this room that they had met the previous owners, and the couple that had shared Thanksgiving with them every year since then. Sitting across from Olivia, he smiled as she looked as if she were thinking hard on his question.
“We have a lovely home. Cars and drivers when we need them. There is security in place when we need it, probably more so than the president has, I’d think.” He told her that he thought so as well. “Food on the table. The ability to travel when we want and to go where we want. A seemingly endless supply of money. And a wonderful family nearby that we see whenever we want. To be honest with you, Caleb, I have no idea what I’d ask for.”
He thought about a couple of more things to add to her list, but knew that she was right. There wasn’t anything that they needed or wanted in the way of material things that they didn’t already have. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing even monetary that they wanted or needed. Caleb asked her if there was a charity or something she could think of that needed a little extra. Just on the off chance someone did ask them how they could be paid.
“Yes. Good idea.” She pulled a notepad from the end table and started writing. “We should keep a list of them anyway. In the event that someone asks us what sort of charity that we wish for them to donate to. That way we don’t just give to the one that is fresh in our mind. I have these five. Can you think of anymore?”
Caleb looked the list over and thought she’d gotten them all. He did remember his mother’s charity of the Supplies for Teachers, and that was added too. As she began to fill in who was in charge of each of the different charities, Caleb thought how much his family was doing for the needy, and loved it.