by J. L. Saint
"We ran the name Dugar through the system along with Mari's description of the man and if we're right then the situation is serious. Ever hear of Frank Dugar?"
"It's not ringing a bell."
"Extremist. Part of the Washington Viper Militia the FBI took down two years ago."
"The group behind the Vigilante Bombings?" The knot in Roger's gut was practically suffocating. The Viper Militia had set themselves up as America's judge. They were suspected of bombing abortion clinics, burning migrant camps and health departments for aiding and abetting illegal aliens, and assassinating several local judges and city officials for crimes against America when court cases or legislature didn't line up with their philosophy. The FBI had raided their camp. Most of the militia had died when a cache of explosives had detonated during the gunfight. Several of the extremists, though, had escaped over the border into Canada and had disappeared.
"That's right. Before hooking up with the Viper Militia, Dugar spent most of his life either in jail or in mental institutions. His last conviction was for aggravated assault. Nearly beat a man to death over a traffic dispute, but the judge went light on the sentencing because the other man pulled a gun on Dugar first. Sucker missed the shot and Dugar didn't give him another chance. Stay alert and let me know if you see anything suspicious."
"Will do." Roger disconnected then looked up to see Dr. Stewart exit Mari's room and it startled him. He must have been so absorbed in the conversation that he'd missed the doc going in. It could very well have been Dugar.
Kicking his own ass, Roger greeted the woman then asked about Mari. "So what's the prognosis?"
"Good. The cramping is gone. Her blood levels are okay. The baby is fine as far as any tests can determine this early in her pregnancy. She can go home, but I am going to preface that by saying she absolutely must get into a prenatal care program and she must start eating properly. She's going to need some help functioning with both her hands bandaged and the cuts on her knees are going to make walking painful, but she needs to get up and walk about the house every few hours until she is ready to venture out."
"I'll see that she does all of the above, Doc."
"Good. Here's my card. She needs to set up an appointment in about a week for her stitches to come out. The nurse will give both of you Mari's home care instructions before you go." The doctor glanced at Mari's closed door and lowered her voice. "Two other things, she refuses to take anything for pain, afraid that it will harm the baby. I'm sending a prescription home with her, but if she won't take that perhaps she'll take Tylenol. Also, I think it would be good for her to see a counselor, one who deals with victims of violent crime. Mari may not have been seriously hurt in the attack, but emotionally she is very traumatized."
"I'd already thought of getting her into counseling. She's been through-a lot." Roger then clamped his mouth shut. Mari had been through a lot and he was the man responsible for it. Thanking the doctor again, Roger stepped into the room and braced himself for the impact Mari had on everything about him. Emotionally and physically the sight of her delivered a one-two punch that had him reeling in his boots.
It didn't make a damn bit of sense and had to be a mixture of his guilt and his long-starved libido. There wasn't a thing about her that didn't prey on his mind. He hadn't seen her gloriously long hair since the grocery mart's bathroom yesterday, but he could remember every nuance of the blue-black curtain. Her golden eyes were rich and perfectly framed by thick lashes. She'd been given a traditional Muslim headscarf and gown this morning and she hadn't wasted a second before putting them on. The hospital employees had asked around after her admission last night, and had located the clothes for her to wear. He supposed he should have done that for her, but then, burying her beauty under a mound of clothing hadn't been uppermost in his mind. Keeping her safe from being buried six feet under had.
An hour later Mari was discharged from the hospital and he'd driven his car to the front pick-up area for her. The nurse brought her out in a wheelchair. There were other patients loading to go home and he winced as he saw the numerous bouquets of flowers accompanying them. Something else he'd neglected to do. Exiting the SUV, he left it running and moved around the car to help Mari.
"It's a beautiful day." She gave him a tight smile. One that didn't hide her painful grimace as she moved her legs to stand and used her elbows to try and push herself upright. He gritted his teeth for half a second and then couldn't take it anymore.
"Too pretty a day to hurt. Let me help and we can work on the moving around bit a little later." He scooped her quickly off her feet and into his arms. The nurse moved to open his car door and all hell broke out. The wheelchair Mari had been in seconds ago flipped over backwards as a high caliber bullet plowed through its vinyl back and shattered the plate glass window fronting the hospital behind them.
"Get down!" Roger yelled, crouching low, using his SUV for cover as he scanned the direction he thought the shooter might be. A nearby security guard drew his weapon and started shouting and pushing people down for cover. One lady ran screaming by him and Roger knocked her down to the ground behind a cement pillar. She lay there crying, but at least she was alive.
Another bullet ricocheted off the cement sidewalk less than a foot from where he held Mari. Roger had no choice but to get the hell out of there. Everyone else would be safer too. He had no doubt that Dugar, the crazy SOB after Mari, was on the other end of that rifle. The adrenaline, rage and fear pumping though him was unlike anything he'd ever known. He felt as if he would explode from the nuclear mix. Especially when he saw Mari's pale face. She looked as if death had already claimed her and she was prepared to leave this world behind.
Over his dead body and damned soul! Neither of which were going to happen, so that meant nothing was getting to her EVER.
Lunging forward, he placed her on the floorboard then dove over the top of her for the driver's seat. The car's engine was already running, so all he had to do was shove the car into drive and steer. He did that and managed to stomp on the gas pedal. Within seconds, he sailed down the pick-up lane. The driver's side back window exploded before he could turn the corner and Mari cried out as she huddled on the floor. He'd expected her to cry out for help, but she wasn't. She kept asking for forgiveness.
He filed the fact and drove like a bat out of hell.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Fair Play, South Carolina
1200 hours
Jack crossed the state line from Georgia into South Carolina before he realized it. He'd been deliberating how to best approach Conrad Gardner and had decided that a public restaurant would be their best option. He pulled into the parking lot of Pig Out's BBQ. According to his GPS they were less than five miles from Gardner's house.
Lauren had called her kids and Angie a few minutes ago to check with them and was still on the phone. He could hear the boys' exuberance now that he'd killed the engine even without the speaker phone on. With Rico on lookout for Angie and the kids, Jack could relax a notch. Unless one of them made the mistake of communicating their location to someone else and the people after them overheard it-something he was positive the bastards were capable of-no one would be able to reach Lauren's children. It was her he had to worry about.
"Yeah, Matt. I give you my solid oak. We'll go to Disney World soon. I love you. Now let me talk to Aunt Angie."
"Sorry about that," Angie said. "I didn't think letting them watch the travel channel would lead to any trouble. You're likely to be out a couple of grand now."
"That's why I stick to Thomas the Tank Engine." Lauren laughed.
Jack's insides reacted to the sound. It made him tense, made him yearn. Not in a sexual way, but in an excited about life way, reminding him of the times when Livy was six and she threw herself into his arms when he walked in the door. He would swing her around until they were both dizzy and laughing. Back then it didn't matter if he'd been gone for a month or just the day, she was always happy to see him. He missed it more th
an he'd realized.
"We did that first, but James and Henry had a spat in the episode. And, well, Matt thought James was in the right and Mitch thought Henry could do no wrong and World War Three ensued."
Jack laughed at that and shook his head. Lauren just rolled her eyes. "Well, whatever you do, don't resort to anything remotely to do with martial arts. The room won't survive it. There's always the classical music channel."
"Will do. Just be careful, okay?"
"I will. Jack wants to talk to Rico again." Lauren handed over the phone.
At the beginning of the call Jack had let Rico know about the two murders and that they were on their way to see another of Bill's friends. Rico spoke first. "Be pissed later, but I called Beck to come help. He didn't answer so I left him a message. I don't know what's going on with that boy but we need to find out. Until you know what this is all about, I would feel better having a back up in this situation."
Jack exhaled, really not sure if he could count on Beck anymore. Two weeks ago, Jack would have put his life and soul in the man's hands. Now he couldn't even get a return phone call. "It can't hurt," Jack finally said. "That's if he picks up his message. Expect to hear from us at 1800 hours."
"1800 it is. Be careful, DT. I'm not liking any of this and you're still on the mend."
"Roger that." Jack hung up then toggled the phone to Gardner's number and pressed the call button. He gave Lauren the phone. "Tell him you're alone and have him meet you here."
She nodded, sliding the phone up to her ear. After multiple rings it went to voice mail and she left Conrad a message to meet her at the Pig Out's BBQ then disconnected. She immediately called again. Still no answer. A sick feeling gripped her stomach. She'd foolishly thought that by giving Conrad warning about Thomas and Edward he would then be safe. "What do we do now? Call the police?"
"Not yet. Not until we have something concrete to report. It could be a cell reception problem. He could be on the other line and will call us back." Jack gripped the steering wheel. "Why don't we go inside, order food, wait ten minutes and call again."
"I don't think I can eat. I'm sick that something may have happened to him too."
"Give it a few minutes. We made good time getting here, so he may not have expected us so soon. And you need to eat a Power Bar or something to stay sharp. Adrenaline and stress will bottom out your blood sugar. If we don't hear from him soon, I'll leave you here and go check out the situation."
Lauren shook her head. "Sorry. That's not going to happen."
Jack almost laughed. He had the experience and he was getting lip over a perfectly reasonable suggestion. He folded his arms and leaned back, lifting a challenging brow. "It's not?'
She cleared her throat, and set her full lips into a determined line. The woman had grit. He had to give her credit for that.
"I just can't see you leaving me here without any means of quick transportation and you going alone into a potentially dangerous situation, miles away. Whether you like it or not, I am your back up in this, which makes your suggestion unworkable." She sat back and folded her arms, mirroring the invisible line he'd drawn in the sand.
Damn. He didn't want to admit it but she did have a slight point. Still, he just couldn't see taking her with him to Gardner's house. "You have to believe me. My going in alone will be a lot safer for both of us."
"I get that. But why do I have to be stranded miles away?"
"What do you suggest?"
"Why don't I drop you off close to Gardner's house and then wait some place nearby that we both feel is safe. That way I can either get to you or you can make it back to me faster if there is a problem."
Well double damn. She made sense. She also pointed out a fatal flaw in their situation that he needed to amend immediately. He started the engine.
"Where are you going?"
"Back to the Walmart we passed to buy disposable phones. If you're going to be my back up then we have to do it right."
"That's it?" she asked, eyes wide with surprise. "You're the expert here. I'm completely out of my element and you're going with my suggestion without any 'you don't know jack' comments?"
"I'm Jack and you know me." He grinned. "But seriously. Your plan has merit, and it's not like you're asking to play Rambo. Waiting at a closer place with transportation makes sense. My hardly-ever-wrong self can take advice sometimes." He grinned again and she rolled her eyes. "Why so stunned?"
She shrugged and then averted her gaze, but not before he saw the shadows in her baby blues. "Not used to…never mind. It's not important."
Jack knew men who counted everything around them as being worthless. Collins obviously hadn't valued her. Jack reached for her hand and squeezed. "Collins was a fool."
"Yeah."
"Then it would be a dumb idea to let his opinion of anything matter to you anymore, if it ever should have to begin with."
She laughed and squeezed back. "You're right. By the way, you don't suck at relating."
The grim disgust Jack had for Collins's character was replaced by his own self hatred. He shook his head, wondering what she would say when she found out Collins's blood was on his hands. He went to pull his hand away but she held on. "Just because I am capable of basic respect for another individual doesn't mean-"
"Yeah, it does." She looked him dead in the eye and gave him no room to argue.
It was all he could do to back out of the parking spot and drive. The urge to pull her into his arms and to kiss the shadows from her eyes was overwhelming. As it was, he couldn't stop himself from leaving his hand in hers. Somehow, he needed the contact as much as he sensed she did at the moment.
Jack wasn't sure what happened but something between them had changed, shifted, moved in such a way that part of himself molded to her. And that change made his need to kiss her and bury himself inside of her just that much stronger.
He'd started out this mission in a bad position. That had now worsened and he had no idea what in the hell he was going to do about it. For now, he had to focus on keeping everyone alive and figuring out what sort of hell Bill Collins had brought down on his family. After that the hard part would come. Then he'd have to deal with the collateral damage telling her the truth would bring.
Part of Lauren felt like a total idiot. Her emotions were stretched taut and on a razor's edge, making her a bit more sensitive than she should be, a vulnerability that kept revealing to Jack things about herself that she hated. Low confidence being one. Her relationship with Bill being another. It was one thing to screw up choosing a partner in life and having your best friend know demeaning details. It was another thing to have a guy figure them out.
Her lack of judgment in character was a major flaw in herself. She'd like to think that Bill had been the consummate actor who didn't reveal himself until the twins were born. She didn't want to think she'd been so desperate to be loved that she'd blinded herself to his real character. However things had started, she eventually found out that relationships and life could get complicated really fast and leave a person with no good choices to make, only bad ones or worse ones. With Matt and Mitch on board, her sons' wellbeing had taken precedence over her personal happiness until Bill's behavior began to affect them adversely. At that point she'd filed for divorce.
She and Jack didn't waste time. Within twenty minutes they had the cell phones up and running and had downed a couple of Power Bars and a drink, which did ease the burning in her stomach a little if not her worry. Their third and fourth attempt at reaching Conrad Gardner had failed and Lauren dropped Jack off a block from Gardner's address. He would call her as soon as he reached Gardner's house and report on his findings. She drove the half mile to the recreation center of Lake Hartwell State Park.
The summer day only had a hint of breeze to it, but the heat didn't stop avid boaters from enjoying the sparkling blue-green lake nested along the Appalachian foothills. Soon fall would paint the lush vegetation a multitude of colors, leaving patches of gold and orange
amid the evergreen pines. For now, everything was thick and green and steamy.
A soon as she entered the park, she knew something was up. Everyone at the beach-marina complex was lined up on the shore staring out at the lake rather than going about their recreational activities. Police were there, several DNR trucks, an ambulance and the fire department too. She was afraid that what was happening here was tied to everything else.
The smell of smoke hit Lauren the moment she opened her car.
Jack's instructions had been to wait in the car at the populated marina with the engine running, the doors locked and her windows up. On the off chance that anyone approached the car, Jack had told her to drive away and to call him. Now she hesitated on what to do next. It seemed really dumb that she couldn't walk twenty yards in a public place with a number of people around to find out what had everyone's attention. But then, she'd promised Jack that she'd do as he directed and she'd already compromised her word.
Bottom lip caught between her teeth, she got back into the car, locked the doors and turned on the engine. After scanning the area carefully, she called Jack.
"What?" he answered in a low whisper that tingled in her ear and had her mentally smacking herself. Was there no part of her he didn't stroke?
"Something's going on," she told him. "Police and rescue are at the marina, and everyone is lined along the shore, looking out at the lake. I'm going to find out what."
Jack exhaled. "Fine. Keep me on the phone. I have Gardner's house trailer in sight, but have yet to move in. For a security guru he doesn't live high on the hog and he's got zilch protecting his own home."
Lauren frowned. "That's odd. I always thought he lived in a big estate house like the others. Maybe this address is a family member's. His grandfather owned a lot of property off the lake."
"Maybe. So far everything on the perimeter check appears normal, but my gut is screaming."
"What does that mean?"
"It means I'm not liking the situation at all and even less now that you've called. Find out what's up."