Critical Play (Michael Cailen Book 3)

by Mel LeBrun

  “Michael is my friend,” Corvo said angrily. “I don't want anything bad to happen to him.”

  “Of course not. But be honest. You've thought about it.”

  Corvo couldn't bring himself to admit it.

  Dmitri continued, “You can't possibly feel good about yourself. How do you think Michael would feel if he knew you were wising him dead so you could have his wife?”

  “Please don't tell him,” Corvo pleaded. “Oh God, please don't tell him that.”

  “I won't under one condition.”

  “What is it?”

  “You start taking steps right now to rid your mind of the notion that you even want her.”

  “How am I supposed to do that? You think I can control how I feel?” Corvo felt so frustrated he was nearly shouting.

  “You have no choice, Lance. You can't have her. And even if something were to happen to Michael. She wouldn't want you.”

  “What makes you say that?” Corvo asked feeling slightly offended.

  “Because she loves Michael. You know how emotional she is. It would take her years to get over the loss. And even if she did accept you out of desperation or loneliness, she would still be in love with Michael. Be realistic. There is no way this plays out where you'll have the fairy tale life you're imagining.”

  As much as Corvo didn't want to admit it, Dmitri was right. To continue entertaining the thought of a life with Jessica was self-defeating. He needed to get a grip before he truly did something stupid.

  “What am I supposed to do?” Corvo asked.

  “Love her like a sister. Start viewing her as that.”

  “I don't know if I can do that.”

  “Well you sure better try. And since you're not in control of your emotions, it would probably be a good idea to stop hugging and touching her.”

  Corvo looked out the window not wanting to comply. Being that close to her and not being able to touch her would be torture, though with Dmitri around he didn't have much of a choice. “Are you going to tell Michael? Or Jess?”

  “Not if you can get yourself under control. I think it would be better if no one knew.”

  “Thank you, Dmitri.”

  Corvo turned back on to the road headed to the grocery store. It was a challenge finding food that was not only nutritious, but also that didn't need to be cooked, was easy to keep down, and traveled well. Dmitri and Corvo did the best they could and returned to the room. Jessica, Tatiana, and Ivan were already asleep. Timur stood watch until Dmitri and Corvo returned, though he too was exhausted.

  “Something wrong with the other bed?” Corvo asked, wondering why the three of them were jammed into one bed while the other was empty.

  “We have to sleep in shifts. I don't want to keep waking Jessica and Ana,” Dmitri explained. Though truthfully his reason had more to do with keeping Corvo and Jessica separated than it did with letting them get a good night's sleep. “Think you can take first watch?” he asked Corvo.

  “No problem,” Corvo agreed.

  CORVO HAD been keeping watch for close to two hours when his phone vibrated. He saw the call was coming from Gatti and stepped into the bathroom to take it.

  “Yeah,” Corvo answered.

  “Lance. Tell me you're not still in Toronto,” Gatti said.

  “Why?” Corvo asked, becoming alarmed.

  “They discovered those cops an hour ago and they've already put it together that it was Dmitri and his friends.”

  Corvo cursed.

  “Based on the direction Dmitri took the officers, they suspect he was headed to Toronto or Ottawa.”

  Corvo cursed again. “I thought it would take them longer than that.”

  “Is Jessica with you?”

  “Sleeping. Why?”

  “There was no mention of her or Tatiana,” Gatti explained.

  “That seems kind of strange.”

  “That's what I thought. But they might just be withholding that info. In any case, it's time for you to get moving. You can kiss your chances of crossing the border goodbye. Right now, just focus on getting out of the city.”

  Corvo anxiously paced the bathroom. “They have it locked down already?”

  “As we speak.”

  “There's nothing you can do?” Corvo asked.

  “Lance, I can't openly help them. My hands are tied. We're not the only agency involved. There are a lot of eyes on this. I'd say you have less than an hour to get out of the city before it becomes near impossible.”

  “All right. I should go. I'll touch base with you once we're clear.”

  “Hurry Lance.”

  Corvo stepped out of the bathroom and turned on the lights. Timur was up a second later, followed closely by Dmitri.

  “What's going on?” Dmitri and Timur asked at the same time.

  “We have to leave this instant,” Corvo informed them.

  “Have they found us?” Ivan asked while still getting his bearings.

  Jessica woke trying to figure out what was happening while Tatiana remained dead to the world.

  “They found the cops. They know it was you. They're locking down the city. Border is a no go. We need to head out ASAP.”

  Dmitri and Ivan both cursed as everyone hurried out of bed. Tatiana continued to sleep through all the commotion. Rather than wake her, Jessica asked Timur to carry her. Corvo, Dmitri, and Jessica carried their bags while Ivan limped along behind them.

  Corvo got in the driver's seat. Because of his injured leg, Ivan was given the front passenger's seat leaving Dmitri, Timur, Jessica, and Tatiana to cram in the back.

  Tatiana woke to the car doors slamming shut. Finding herself in the arms of a man in the dark in a strange car, she started crying. When she realized she was with people she knew and her mom was there, she calmed down but insisted on sitting with Jessica. Jessica held her, though she felt sick to her stomach and worried she might throw up.

  Corvo was understandably nervous. His passengers consisted of a missing woman and her child along with three men who were considered terrorists. There wouldn't be much hope of talking his way out of it if they were confronted by law enforcement. Getting stopped was not an option.

  “Where are we going?” Dmitri asked.

  “Right now, I'm just trying to get out of the city. They'll probably focus their attention near the border so we're going to head the other way. If we make it out of the city we can decide where to go from there,” Corvo answered.

  Avoiding main roads they headed out of the city. They were doing good until they were nearly out. A social networking navigation app on Corvo's phone alerted him that there were police up ahead. Corvo knew it was likely a road block. He looked for some place to turn off but there was none. If they turned back they may just run into another road block. The further away they got, the safer they would be. They needed to keep moving.

  “We have a problem,” Corvo announced as he pulled over.

  “What is it?” Dmitri asked.

  “Road block ahead. There's no way around unless we turn back.”

  “We do that, we could end up encountering even more police,” Timur chimed in.

  “My thoughts exactly,” Corvo agreed.

  Corvo examined the map again. There was a street that ran parallel to the one they were on. If they could only get to it they may be in the clear. The only problem was the two roads were separated by a forest and the only road that connected them was beyond the road block.

  Corvo passed the map back to Dmitri and Timur. “There's a road on the other side of the woods. If you can get to it, I can pass through the checkpoint and pick you up.”

  “I think that's the only way this can happen,” Dmitri agreed.

  “Wait, what are you saying?” Jessica asked.

  “Jess, it's a small patch of woods,” Corvo explained. “The road on the other side is clear. I'm the only one who can pass the police checkpoint. You will have to go on foot. There is no other way.”

  Jessica looked at the dark woods a
nd started to feel panicked.

  Dmitri took her hand. “It will be fine. Timur will carry Tatiana while I help Ivan. We'll be on the other side before you know it.”

  Jessica wasn't all that thrilled about wading her way through a pitch black forest while trying to evade police. She didn't have much of a choice though, so her personal feelings were irrelevant.

  Dmitri explained to Tatiana what they had to do. They talked back and forth in Russian as she asked questions and expressed her fears. Dmitri, Timur and Ivan all assured her she would be safe with them and they wouldn't let anything happen to her. Once the idea finally registered with her, everyone but Corvo bailed out of the vehicle. Dmitri supported Ivan while Timur put Tatiana on his back. Jessica grabbed hold of Timur's arm as they disappeared into the forest.

  The walk was arduous. Without the benefit of light, they had to move slowly so as not to run head on into trees. Unable to see where they were walking, they tripped over stones and fallen branches as they moved with the pace of an arthritic man with a walker. Ivan had a particularly hard time since his leg still wasn't healed.

  Jessica traded Timur's arm for Dmitri. “Are we lost?” she whispered, not wanting Tatiana to hear.

  “No, why?”

  “You said it was just a small patch of woods. This is going on forever.”

  “It feels larger than it is because we are moving so slowly,” Dmitri explained. “We're going in the right direction. It won't be much longer,” he assured her.

  Trusting in Dmitri, Jessica continued on. Soon enough she could see slivers of road through the trees. They were almost there. They saw headlights stopped up the road a ways. When they got closer to the edge of the woods, Dmitri told everyone to hang back while he went to make sure the vehicle stopped was actually Corvo. It was. Corvo drove down and soon everyone was reunited.

  With no plan other than putting as much distance between them and Toronto, they continued north for another hour without incident. Corvo called Gatti while they drove hoping to get some direction on what to do now.

  “We're out of the city,” Corvo informed him.

  “Good. I'm glad.”

  “Any suggestions on where we should go?”

  “I've been working on a plan to get you guys closer to home. You'll need to make it to Alaska though.”

  “You are kidding right?”

  “It'll be easier to cross the border there than the mainland.”

  “How is Alaska closer to home?” Corvo asked, his tone bordering on disgust.

  “The mainland border is too hot right now so that's out of the question. From Alaska I can arrange flights for you. I still have some details to work out. It's obviously a lot more complicated than booking you a ticket.”

  “We're going to fly home?” Corvo asked, not sure if Gatti had lost his mind.

  “Yes. Just get yourself to Alaska. I'll take care of the rest.”

  Corvo gripped the steering wheel as he pondered how Jessica would fair driving to Alaska. “Jessica won't survive a car ride to Alaska. We need another plan.”

  “There isn't one, Lance. I'm sorry.”

  “Listen to me, she will not make it. We need another option,” Corvo insisted.

  Gatti sighed. “Keep moving. I'll call you back.” He hung up and Corvo placed the phone in the cup holder waiting for him to call back.

  Jessica leaned forward closer to Corvo. “Are we going to Alaska?”

  “No,” Corvo answered.

  “So where are we going?” she asked.

  “I don't know yet. But I'm not making you drive across this country again.”

  Jessica leaned back in her seat grateful that she wouldn't have to spend the next few days cramped in the back of a truck yet not quite sure what that meant. No one said a word as they continued on the dark deserted highway with no clear direction. Corvo's phone eventually broke the silence.

  “Yeah,” Corvo answered.

  “All right. I triple checked the reports and even made a call myself to Canadian intelligence to make sure they weren't leaving anything out of their report.”

  “And?”

  “There is no mention of Tatiana or Jessica. No one is looking for them.”

  “They're not looking for Jessica or Ana? How is that possible?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “I think I can answer that,” Dmitri spoke from the backseat. “I asked the officers not to mention Jessica or Tatiana for their own safety.”

  “You just asked?” Corvo said in disbelief. “That's all?”

  “I can be persuasive,” Dmitri reasoned.

  Corvo looked at Dmitri, thinking he had to be leaving something out. Like that he hypnotized them or something. He shook it off and returned to talking to Gatti.

  “So they can fly from here then?” Corvo asked.

  “It would appear so. Do you think you could get them to the airport in Ottawa?”

  “Of course.”

  “Good. I'll call you back with her flight details and instructions for retrieving their IDs.”

  “What about the rest of us?” Corvo asked.

  Gatti sighed. “Listen Lance, I'm leaving it up to you. If you want to help them, I won't stop you and I'll still arrange a plane for the four of you if you can make it to Alaska. However, if you decide you don't want to put yourself out like that, I will support you. The authorities aren't looking for you either. You can come back whenever you want.”

  “Will you still arrange a plane for them to the US if I do that?” Corvo asked.

  “They'll be on their own, Lance. There's too many people looking for them and without you to run point, there isn't much I could do.”

  Corvo was silent. As much as he wanted to be with Jessica and watch over her, he couldn't forget how Dmitri had saved his life in Venezuela.”

  “What's it going to be, Lance?” Gatti asked.

  Corvo finally responded, “I'll stay with them. Arrange the flight.”

  “Very well. I'll be in touch.”

  Chapter 33

  Michael woke mid-morning to an empty apartment. A note on the nightstand explained that Kristen had to leave for her day job but would return late afternoon, and that he could help himself to anything in the apartment. She also left explicit instructions for him not to leave the apartment or answer the door under any circumstances. As he read the note, he wondered how she entered the room and left again without waking him.

  At first Michael thought it would be nice to stay put and enjoy some downtime. However the knowledge that he was not allowed to leave encroached on his rest and relaxation. As the hours passed, he felt more and more like a prisoner. It was all psychological. He didn't need to go anywhere, didn't want to go anywhere, but the fact that he couldn't didn't sit well with him. He found himself pacing and struggling to distract himself. He tried to watch some TV, but couldn't stay still and before long he was be pacing again. He looked at every book in her apartment before looking around for something to clean or fix. Then he tried to watch TV again but it was impossible to sit still for more than twenty minutes. He didn't know what to do with himself.

  He thought back on how impatient he had been with Jessica when they had first met and were on the run together. He thought about how he wouldn't allow her to go out and how upset she got. He understood now how she felt and regretted not being more compassionate. There was nothing he could do about it now though. Perhaps this was his penance for not being more empathetic toward Jessica. He sat back down on the couch and buried his head in his hands, wishing Kristen would hurry up and get back so he would at least have someone to talk to. Kristen did eventually return and Michael tried to play it cool even though he was ecstatic.

  “I bought take out if you're hungry,” she said as she removed her shoes and coat.

  “Yeah,” Michael replied. “Sounds great.”

  “Good. I hope you like lasagna. I thought Italian would be ...” She stopped speaking as she seemed to notice something.

  “What
?” Michael asked.

  She looked quizzically at him. “Did you dust?”

  “Yeah. Is that OK?”

  She looked around again. “Did you also wash the floors?”

  “I got bored,” Michael said, beginning to feel a little embarrassed. “I also found your tool kit and fixed the leak in your sink.”

  “Is that all?” she asked still a bit surprised.

  “Was there something else you needed?”

  “Uhh. No. I. Ahh. Just, umm, wasn't expecting you to do anything. That's all.” She finally looked at him and smiled. “Thank you. You didn't have to.”

  “It's fine.” A shy smile crossed his lips. “I wanted to.”

  She brought the bag of food into the kitchen which she noticed was spotless. Michael had been busy. She transferred the food to plates and pulled out a bottle of wine.

  “Do you drink?” she asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Good. I've been wanting to drink this but I don't like to drink alone.”

  “Perfect. Open it up.”

  She poured two glasses and they sat down to eat.

  “How was your day?” Michael asked wanting to break the silence, something he had experienced too much of while she was out.

  Since marrying Jessica and especially since adopting Tatiana, Michael didn't experience much silence. His life was a flurry of activity, and he felt out of sorts if he spent too much time alone.

  “It was fine,” she replied. “Nothing out of the ordinary.”

  Michael peppered her with more questions about her cover in an effort to make small talk. She didn't seem to mind and answered all his questions.

  “So how long have you been saving this wine?” Michael asked. It's very good.

  She thought for a minute. “Almost a year.”

  “A year?” Michael was surprised. “You haven't had any company in almost a year?”

  “I've had the wine almost a year,” she corrected him.

  “You said you didn't want to drink it alone,” Michael reminded her.

  She took a deep breath and replied, “It's not exactly easy to have friends in my line of work.” She took a sip of wine. “Let alone anything more than that.”