“My wife? What could you possibly want with her?”
“We know she’s not your wife. Angie’s not married. Her brother gave us all her flight information and I want what she has.”
“I suggest you gentlemen head back to your vehicles. This isn’t a fight you want.”
The man standing furthest from me pulled his weapons and took a shot. I was faster though and dove back toward Angela, pulling her to the ground.
“Stay down and don’t fucking move.”
I took a deep breath before peering around the edge of the door and firing a few shots. Luckily, I had several guns on me and many more clips, so I could hold them off for a little bit, but eventually they would get the upper hand. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and handed it to Angela.
“Speed dial one. Tell Becky I need back up now!”
She fumbled with the phone so many times that I finally grabbed it from her hands and dialed myself.
“Becky, I need back up now! Your friend left out a few details that would have been useful.”
“No one is here, boss.”
“Then get on the phone and get someone or we’ll be dead.”
“I’ll get someone to you right away. Give me two minutes.”
“I can’t hold them off long.”
“I know, I’m on it.”
I continued to fire sporadically, trying to save as much ammo as possible. The men were now back further in the hangar so they had cover. I sent up a prayer that I wouldn’t die here today in a plane with a woman that was practically hyperventilating. Damn, I missed Maggie.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Maggie
SINCE I REFUSED to stay with Sebastian, I was now back in Pittsburgh alone and without protection. The way his protective details were set up, he couldn’t continue to have one person on me. He hadn’t wanted me to come to the city alone, but I couldn’t stay with him and miss all that was happening with my story.
There had been a ton of follow up stories for me to do once the Mayor’s case went to trial. The investigation into the Mayor’s less than savory dealings with the city council, the different construction companies, and even the gangs they had used to get rid of people led to many stories that I was aching to sink my teeth into.
The police had searched all the properties that belonged to the Mayor. They had found eighteen bodies so far. Some were gang members that no doubt got on the Mayor’s bad side. Cheryl Haynes, the office worker from RND Construction, had been found in Wilkinsburg. That had been the first site that we suspected foul play.
Mark Beane, the reporter that had disappeared, was found at the bottom of the river by the shipping company. He had been rolled in chain link fence and it was said he drowned. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be trapped and not able to escape. Knowing every second you lost oxygen that you were going to die. It was said that there were several other victims at the bottom of the river that had yet to be identified.
I never found out what happened with Danielle. No one ever found her body and I felt horrible that I couldn’t give Tom, the bartender, more answers. I did stop by, however, and discuss the case with him, letting him know that the police hadn’t finished investigating yet.
I felt bad that I wasn’t able to uncover all the murders that had happened, or the other scandals that I hadn’t been able to match to the ledger. Still, I held out hope that the police would be able to more thoroughly investigate and uncover all the crimes.
I had been back in Pittsburgh for a little over a month now and had been busy most every day and night. When I wasn’t chasing down a story, I was being interviewed about how I managed to blow this story wide open and the subsequent threats on my life. I had even been approached by a publishing company about writing a book about all the characters and how they all worked together to make this master plan work.
I had considered it and even started calling people, asking if they would give interviews. Most of the council members, while ashamed, wanted to get their stories out about how they hadn’t wanted to go along with the Mayor’s plans, but needed to because he was blackmailing them. It looked like, if I got enough people, I could start on my book very soon.
I had accepted the job at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette because I didn’t trust Darren and didn’t want to ever work with him again if I didn’t have to. Though I didn’t have proof, there was no way I would ever trust him. Still, I hoped that I would someday find evidence to get his ass thrown in jail also. There had to be something that I was missing. Though, now that his extra source of income was gone, I didn’t see him being much of a threat anymore.
Under the supervision of Sinner, I had been going to the firing range and practicing shooting. Last week, I got my first gun, which I was quite proud of. He said that a woman that got into so much trouble needed a weapon to defend herself. Sebastian knew nothing of my meeting with Sinner and I wanted to keep it that way. Sinner understood my need to get back to my job and knew that it would be more difficult if Sebastian knew we were getting together.
I met Sinner about a half hour from Pittsburgh three times a week and he showed me the finer points of firing a weapon. Afterward, we got lunch or dinner and caught up. We never talked about Sebastian or how I was doing being away from him. It had been my choice to go after all.
Things were not at all how I had imagined they would be. I had thought I would be happy once I got back to my house and my things. Even my lovey-dovey neighbors weren’t enough to bring me out of my funk. I missed Sebastian more than I cared to admit. My job had always meant so much to me, but now every time I left the house to go after a story, I thought back to being with Sebastian and hunting down stories with him.
I knew deep down that I couldn’t go back to that time. It was a special circumstance and I had to treasure what we had. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder what could have been if I’d had the courage to see where things went.
I was heading into the paper one morning, taking shortcuts through side streets and alley’s. My car was on the fritz this morning and I was ahead of schedule, so I decided to walk into work. The extra exercise helped my pelvic muscles regain the strength they’d lost after I was run down.
I had just turned from an alley onto the sidewalk in front of some old shops when I heard my name being called. Hope sprung that it was Sebastian and he’d come to declare his undying love to me and ask me to come back to him. I turned around to find my old boss, Darren standing on the sidewalk. He was disheveled and smelled like alcohol. I wasn’t even standing that close, but I could smell it coming off him in waves.
“Darren.”
“You just thought you could get away with it, didn’t you?”
“Get away with what?”
“You screwed up everything. When you told the owner of the paper what you suspected, he started an investigation into the stories I ran and what I chose not to. Turns out, he agreed with you. It didn’t matter that he didn’t have any proof. He brought me into his office last night and fired me.”
“Darren, we both know that you were working for the Mayor. I may not have proof, but there was no other way to explain some rather large coincidences.”
I glanced at my watch and saw that I was going to be late if I didn’t get going.
“Look, if you want, I’m doing a book on the people that were caught up in the scandal. They all get a chance to tell their side. If you want, I can include you in the book.”
“What? You think I’ll sit down with you and give you an interview after you destroyed my life?”
Flashbacks of Sebastian telling me that I could very well destroy someone’s life by accusing someone of wrongdoing without evidence came roaring back to me. I actually felt bad for Darren. He was right. I didn’t have proof that he had done anything wrong. My actions had led him to lose his job, and while I truly felt that he was guilty, I wasn’t the one that should have decided his fate for him. I should have left it to the police.
“Darren, I’m
sorry. You’re right. As much as I feel that you’re guilty, I shouldn’t have said anything without proof. I should have left it to the police.”
“You’re sorry? You little bitch. I have spent my entire career dealing with you reporters that feel you know everything. I watch you pull your strings and do anything you need to for a story. Well guess what? I was always the one pulling the strings. You’re right. I did work for the Mayor. I decided which stories went in the paper and I gave him a heads up when someone was hot on his tail. Do you know how many times you almost died and I protected you? You were my most valuable reporter and I thought that if I could just stay one step ahead of you, I could scare you away. When that didn’t work, the Mayor wanted you gone and still I tried to help you. You had a bodyguard. Why couldn’t you just go into hiding and wait for the story to die?”
I wished more than anything that I had my recorder on me right now. This would be perfect for the police and great for my book. I was just about to walk away when he pulled a gun from his waist. Shit. My gun was at the small of my back. I carried it with me whenever I could now. I wasn’t fast enough to just pull it and shoot without him shooting me first, even if he was drunk.
“I built that paper. I made it what it is today and you took that from me. I guess you’ll get something really big for your book.”
“What’s that?”
“Someone else can write about your death.”
Sure he was going to pull the trigger at any moment, I looked quickly to his right as if someone was there. His head snapped left and I took my chance, pulling my gun from my waist and aiming it at his chest. I didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. If I did, he would no doubt shoot me. My aim was true and I hit him square in the center of the chest. Of course, I was only standing about ten feet from him, so that would be pretty sad if I had missed him. Sinner would have given me grief to no end.
The next thing I thought of was how much I wished Sebastian was here to give me a hard time about getting into trouble. He would have scolded me for walking instead of driving or taking a cab. He would have yelled at me for walking through an alley and not paying attention to my surroundings. Then he would have asked where the fuck I got a gun and who taught me how to use it.
I laughed to myself, which seemed highly inappropriate at the moment, but I couldn’t help it. An ache settled in my chest the longer I stood there. I knew now what I really wanted.
Surprisingly, the police showed rather quickly and took down my statement. They didn’t give me too much trouble seeing as how Darren was holding his gun and had already been questioned in relation to the Mayor’s scandal.
When I got to work, I sat at my desk and thought for all of five seconds what my next step would be. I couldn’t just go off half cocked. I needed advice. I told my editor about what happened and promised a great piece by tomorrow, but told him that I needed to go home for the day. He was totally fine with it and even called me a cab. I didn’t argue.
When the cab pulled up outside my house, I quickly paid and ran over to Aggie’s door. I pounded and yelled for her, but when she didn’t answer fast enough, I opened the door and stormed in.
“Aggie, I need some- Ahh! What the hell?”
Two wrinkly, naked figures hustled as fast as they could off the ground and started pulling blankets off the couch to cover all their parts. I covered my eyes with my hands as fabric rustled in the air.
“Oh, dear. Maggie, if you had waited a few minutes, you wouldn’t have walked in on Harry giving me the old one, two punch.”
“Ewww. I don’t ever want to hear you say that again.”
“It’s just sex, Maggie. I’m sure you get plenty of it with that young fella of yours.”
“No, no, no. I am not discussing sex with you two. Alright, I’m going to wait outside while you two put some clothes on and then we need to talk.”
“Girlie, I think we’re old enough to know what we’re doing. Besides, I really doubt we need to worry about me putting a bun in Aggie’s oven.”
“Stop. Please, for the love of God, stop. I’ll be back in five minutes and you better have all your clothes on.”
I stepped outside and waited on Aggie’s front stoop, giving them an extra few minutes just to be sure. I knocked extra loud and waited for one of them to answer. When I stepped inside, they were both clothed and you would never have guessed that the living room was just a breeding ground for old people’s bodily fluids. Glancing at the couch, I pointed to the kitchen.
“How about we talk in there. That’s safe territory.”
“Well, I suppose, but then you should know that Harry gave me a little afternoon delight on the table the other day.”
“What? How? How does that even work at your age?”
“Well, with my bad hip and Harry’s-”
“Never mind! Forget I asked.”
I sighed and ran a hand down my face and then scrubbed both hands over my ears, hoping to erase the last fifteen minutes of my life.
“Alright, let’s just get this over with. I need to know how to get Sebastian back.”
“What happened? What did that little cock sucker do? I’ll tear him limb from limb,” Harry said as menacingly as possible. Though it wasn’t nearly as effective as he hoped because he started coughing at the end and asked Aggie for his inhaler.
“He didn’t do anything. I left him. I thought that we couldn’t make things work because of our jobs and how far apart we live, but then I realized today that I just wanted him in my life for him to yell at me.”
“You want him to yell at you? Oh, dear. Harry, I’ve heard about these women today that like that kind of stuff. Do you think we should try it? Maybe it’ll spice things up.”
“Aggie! It’s not like that. I just meant that he yells at me when I do the wrong thing and he keeps me in check. I miss him telling me what to do and being a little too protective.”
“Sounds to me like you want a babysitter,” Harry muttered.
“Or a Sugar Daddy. You know I used to work at this club and these ladies would give themselves to one man and do anything they asked for. It’s like they couldn’t think for themselves.”
“Aggie-”
“You never struck me as that type of woman, but I guess appearances aren’t everything.”
“I don’t need a Sugar Daddy.”
“Just a babysitter. Girlie, when I was your age, women were off working in the Red Cross and fighting wars!”
“Harry, I didn’t say that I need a babysitter. I was saying-”
“Of course, I wouldn’t mind having a Sugar Daddy if it was you, Harry. It could be fun.”
“Sugar Daddies have multiple women. Is that what you want? You want to share me?”
“Of course not.”
“Good, because I don’t think my knee could handle it. You always know how to take care of me afterward. I’m not sure I want to take a chance with another woman. Have you seen Mrs. Craggle go after the mailman? She tackled him to the ground the other day. Pretended she tripped. If she did that to me, I’m not sure I’d be getting back up.”
Rubbing my temples, I willed away the headache that was forming. “Can you two please concentrate for a minute? I need to get Sebastian back. How do I do it?”
“Let him come to you, dear. Don’t go chasing down a man. It’s always better to find a way to get him to come to you. Besides, dear. Do you really want a man that let you go so easily?”
“He didn’t let me go easily. I didn’t really give him a choice.”
“You need to go to him, Girlie. Show him that you want him more than you want your job and he’ll worship you forever.”
“How do I do that?”
“Well, that’s something you’ll have to figure out, but make it good.”
“You’re sure it’ll work?”
“Honey, there’s nothing a man won’t do for the love of a good woman.”
✯✯✯✯✯
I went home and quickly typed up my article on the
events of this morning and sent it off to my editor. There was no time to stop and pack, though I intended on staying with Sebastian once I got to Reed Security. I quickly got in my car after grabbing my backup weapon. The police had kept my gun until they finished investigating Darren’s death. He hadn’t made it and I couldn’t say I was too upset about that. I drove faster than I ever had in my life, making it to Reed Security in just under fifty minutes.
I hadn’t counted on not having the passwords this time around, so I had to wait for someone to let me in. So much for my grand entrance. When I made it up to the offices, I was met by a receptionist that hadn’t been there when I was here last. I guess someone had to replace Cal, even though that had never truly been his job.
The offices seemed empty, but I knew that Becky or Rob would be here, so I headed to the computer room. Becky came running out of the office in a frenzy, barely missing me while yelling into her com set.
“No one is here, boss. I’ll get someone to you right away. Give me two minutes. I know, I’m on it.”
The elevators had opened at some point and Sinner had walked in.
“Mark! Sebastian needs you ASAP. He’s under fire. I’ll send you the coordinates.”
Sinner quickly turned on his heel and over to the elevator. I didn’t think, I just followed.
“Where do you think you’re going, Freckles?”
“With you.”
“Yeah, I don’t think so. Cap would have my ass if I brought you to a gunfight.”
“Let me deal with him. You don’t have any backup and you taught me how to shoot.”
“This isn’t the same thing. Shooting at targets is nothing like shooting at people.”
“I shot someone just this morning,” I said as we ran out of the elevator and over to an SUV. We got in and Sinner cranked the engine, taking off moments later, yet still arguing with me.
“You shot someone?”
“Yeah, my boss. Well, my old boss.”
“Christ, Freckles. I didn’t teach you to shoot so you could go commit murder.”
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