by Jamie Begley
Chapter Three
“Come on, I need a beer. Tomorrow is our last day on this job, so let’s celebrate,” Billy wheedled.
The three other men in the cramped hotel room looked at the young man as if he had lost his mind.
“We’re beat, kid. We all have a few years on you; it’s been a long job.” The men all looked like they had been through a war zone. They had just constructed a building, which should have taken over a year to build, within seven months. Each had worked their ass off to reach their bonus if they completed the job early. They had worked together before on many construction jobs and got along well together.
“Jericho, how about you?” Billy turned to the man lying sprawled on his bed, having just taken a shower.
“I’m out for the night. You’ll find nothing in their local bar except trouble. Besides, I’m headed home after they give our pay. I have a long drive ahead of me. Being half asleep and nursing a hangover is just asking for trouble.”
“Ohio?”
“No thanks, kid.” The oldest member of the team was often the most ready to head out for a cold beer. The fact that he said no in itself spoke of the men’s weariness.
“Well, I guess I’m on my own. See you guys later.” Billy left the room whistling.
The next morning the men were drinking their morning coffee, impatient for the last of the inspectors to finish. Barring any failures, the men would all be paid. Personal vehicles were already loaded and gassed, ready to head out to their various homes. Jericho watched the men talk as he walked with the inspectors. This part always clenched his gut. Sometimes you got some real assholes who only liked the aggravation failing an inspection could cause; others were just looking to get their palms greased for the passing sticker.
The inspector bent and pulled a wire. “The cover’s not right.” Jericho saw the official looking at the men hanging around and trying to estimate how much he could get for holding the job up.
Jericho didn’t argue. “Yes, it is. We passed two other inspections in this state with the same electrical cover.”
The inspector started to argue—money flashing through his mind along with the weekend getaway with his girlfriend that a bribe would buy—right up until the moment he looked into Jericho’s eyes. He didn’t just take a step back, he took two. He had been around a lot of roughneck’s during his work, however none had ever made his blood run cold. You didn’t have to ponder why he was foreman of the job and how he had kept over a hundred men under his control to get a job of this magnitude done without incident and on time. He was a mean son of a bitch. His palms weren’t going to get greased with a bribe; this man was more likely to cut them off first.
Shaking, he bent down to give the cover another cursory look. “It will do.” He hurriedly started writing on his clipboard and then handed Jericho the green sticker showing the inspection had passed before walking quickly to his car. The sooner he got away from him, the better for his health.
Jericho walked over to the men waiting. “It’s a go. Start lining up and I’ll hand out the pay.” He frowned as he turned toward the onsite office, noticing a missing truck. “Where’s Billy?”
Ohio shrugged. “He never returned to the room last night or this morning before we left.”
Rick laughed. “Maybe he got lucky.”
Ohio laughed, too. “It would be a first.”
“I agree. Rick, drive over to that bar he went to last night and see if you can find out where the kid is.”
“Ah, Jericho, Billy can take care of himself. I want to get home.”
“Not a man leaves town until we find Billy. We came into this town together and we’ll leave together.”
No one argued with him as Jericho headed to the office. His desk was by a window so that his eyes were constantly on the site. He had passed out several of the men’s pay when he saw Billy’s truck drive onto the site, parking next to Jericho’s own truck. When Billy emerged, Ohio immediately lit into the kid. Jericho heard the yelling in his office.
“I’m sorry I’m late. I had a flat.” Billy couldn’t hide his guilty expression.
“Boy, if you got laid and overslept, just say so. You don’t have to make up excuses to me. I’m not your mama.”
Billy turned bright red and shook his head.
“You better get to the office. Jericho’s been looking for you.”
Billy got in line with the rest of the crew. When his turn came, he couldn’t look Jericho in the eyes.
“Sorry I’m late, boss.”
Jericho nodded. “Since you’re the last one in, you can do clean up duty.”
“But, Jericho, I really need to get out of town. I mean, I need to head home.”
Jericho studied the young man. His instincts were telling him that Billy was hiding something, but as long as it didn’t involve the job, it was none of his business. There was no quicker way to lose a good crewmember than to stick his nose where it didn’t belong.
“You know the rules; last one in does cleanup.” Billy nodded. Once Jericho gave an order, he expected the job carried out.
“Hurry up, kid.” Jericho watched as Billy left the office and began picking up trash around the site. There wasn’t much as Jericho expected the men to pick up after themselves.
After Jericho paid the last of the men, he did a final walk-through of the building. It was his responsibility to check to make sure all the windows and doors in the building were locked.
He was walking out of the building when four police cars pulled onto the lot.
Jericho tensed. This was not a good sign. When the police sent out four squad cars, you could bet that it was going to be a major fuck up.
Billy caught his attention. He looked like a deer caught under a hunter’s shotgun. Billy, seeing Jericho’s hard stare, bent and kept picking up the trash, hoping to go unnoticed by the police while the other men were loading their tools into vehicles, anxious to head out.
With an experienced eye, Jericho studied the officers as they got out of their cars. He picked out the one with the most pompous attitude. “Can I help you, Sheriff?”
“Who’s in charge?” Giving him a narrowed look, which Jericho bet was practiced in front of a mirror, the officer set out to intimidate. It wasn’t going to work. Jericho had little left to fear in life, and this asshole wasn’t one of them.
“That would be me.” Jericho stared each man in the eyes, knowing that to look scared was like feeding raw meat to hungry sharks. “Can I help you?” Again, Jericho repeated his question.
“We have a report of a missing woman who escaped from the mental facility twenty miles from here.”
“If she’s on foot, then why would you think she would be here? We haven’t seen a woman hanging around. Believe me, my men would have noticed.” The few men who had stepped closer to overhear the conversation started catcalling and whistling.
“Shut up!” one of the officers yelled at the men.
“They’re just letting off some steam. A lot of them have been away from home for a while.” Jericho’s tone warned he wouldn’t let the men be harassed for no reason.
The officer stuck out his chest, which only emphasized his paunch.
“One of your men was seen with the woman last night.” Jericho didn’t have to ask who, but the officer told him anyway.
“The manager at the Stop and Go identified him as a Billy Smith and that he works for this construction crew.”
“He does.” Jericho cursed to himself. The crew often stopped at the convenience store to grab a coffee or a quick snack.
“Is he here?”
Before Jericho could say anything, Billy spoke up, “I’m here.” He walked to stand in front of the officer. The sheriff smiled, showing his shark teeth. Here was a man he could intimidate.
“Did you see this young woman?” The Sheriff produced a picture from the folder he was holding.
“I talked to a lot of women last night.” Billy tried to smile when the men standing around
started to cheer again. When Jericho saw the officers getting angry, he motioned the men away.
“Long, dark hair, blue eyes and a white dress.” Even Jericho could see Billy had seen the woman. He couldn’t hide the guilty look in his eyes.
“I gave her a ride to the Stop and Go last night when I left the bar.”
“Mind if we check out your truck?”
Jericho spoke up, “Got a warrant?”
Another officer handed him the signed warrant. “Show him your truck, Billy.”
Billy turned as two officers followed him to his truck. Jericho watched as they searched and then ten minutes later they came back empty-handed.
“Looks like she’s not here,” Jericho said.
“Mind if we search the site?”
“Help yourself. I’ve been here all morning, and there’s no woman here. You’re wasting your time.”
“It’s mine to waste.” The officers spread out and searched the building and storage sheds, even the porta-potties, finding nothing.
“Search the vehicles.”
“No. Not unless you have about forty warrants in your possession.”
The Sheriff turned to Jericho.
“Why not the vehicles?”
“I have the authorization for you to search the building, but the vehicles are personal property.” Jericho knew they wouldn’t find the woman, but also knew he managed a rough crew and they probably had a little pot, or an unlicensed weapon. The first he didn’t mind if it was done on off time. The weapons were like condoms to some of the men, you never left home without them.
The Sheriff’s lips pursed in a smart ass grin. “What did you say your name was?”
“I didn’t, but my name is Jericho Hawk.”
“And if I pulled your record, what would I find?” Jericho had been down this road many times before. He knew exactly where this conversation was headed.
“That I served two years in prison.” Jericho didn’t break eye contact.
“What charge?”
“Murder.”
“Is that so?”
“I served my time. I’m not even on parole, so you’re barking up the wrong tree. The woman is not here.”
The Sheriff turned back to the other officers waiting. “Phelps, head over to the courthouse and pick me up some warrants.” As he was talking, the scanner could be heard in the background. The Sheriff moved to answer the dispatcher, and within seconds, he was motioning the other officers back to their cars.
“The woman was seen at the Camelot Inn.”
“Isn’t that just a couple of miles away from the Stop and Go?” Jericho questioned snidely. The asshole Sheriff threw him a dirty look before heading back to his cruiser. “Count yourself lucky that the call came in. I was looking forward to searching your truck personally. Hawk, now that your job is finished, don’t stick around town.”
Jericho’s lips twisted. “Don’t worry; I’m gone already.” The Sheriff nodded with self importance before getting in his cruiser. The asshole took off, lights flashing and dust flying in all directions.
“Whew, am I glad that’s over,” Billy tried to joke, but Jericho cut him off.
“I don’t want to know what happened last night. I don’t care. My best advice is that you get in your truck and haul ass out of this town.” Billy nodded and high-tailed it back to his truck and Jericho watched as he as well as the other crewmembers spun out of the parking area.
They were lucky. If that call hadn’t come through, they all probably would have been stuck here for several hours, and that was if nothing illegal had been found in the vehicles.
He closed up the site and headed to his own truck. Driving off, he didn’t take a last look as the lot disappeared from view. No feeling of satisfaction of a job well done or a thought about the crew crossed his mind while heading home. The job was done and any connection he had to it was over.
As his truck passed the state line, he was just glad to be driving to his own home where he would stay for the next two months. With the bonus money earned on this job, he was due for a rest before the next contract began. He needed it. The last job had been exhausting and major recoup time was needed. The only excitement he was looking for was a clean bed and a warm body next to him.
Jericho was definitely glad to be out of that town. If Billy was smart, he had taken his advice and gotten out also because one thing Jericho had learned in prison was to know when someone was lying, and that kid had been lying, badly. There was no way Jericho would have put his own ass on the line for him, though. He had learned the hard way no bitch was worth doing time.
Chapter Four
Cara huddled under the tarp where every bump and curve the truck took jarred her sore body. Her trembling fingers gripped the bolted down tire to keep herself steady. Cara didn’t even know whose truck she was in or where they were going. Thoughts of her sisters’ safety were all that kept her thoughts occupied between bumps. Her body was in pain, though, and Cara was unused to the sensation.
It hadn’t taken her long to figure out that going through that doorway had made her mortal. She knew her mother was probably furious, but would be unable to help.
She had no idea how long they had been driving before Cara felt the truck come to a stop. Making herself lay still despite her aching body, she felt the truck shake when the door slammed closed. She tried to hear what was going on outside the truck, but couldn’t with the tarp muffling any sound. Could they be at their destination? Or just stopping for something else?
Cara was familiar with human’s moves, having visited earth many, many times. She was tempted to take a peek from under the tarp, yet she was afraid of being seen. She would wait just a little longer and then, if the man didn’t return, she would take a small peek.
Cara hoped that Billy had known what he was doing when he slipped her into the truck when no one was looking. She had heard the men searching the other truck not long after. She simply had to trust the man that had helped her when he had seen her lying unconscious on the side of the road. The young man had sat with her in his truck until she had quit shaking and could gather her strength. It wasn’t every day that an immortal become mortal. The cold had been the worst, and her flimsy dress hadn’t made it much better.
His gentle soul had listened to her and believed her when she had told him how she had become lost. After he had listened, he had driven her to the local all night store and purchased warmer clothes for her. Cara was now dressed in jeans, a sweatshirt, socks and shoes. Along with the warm coat and gloves, she had finally gained enough warmth to quit shaking. After that, a drive-thru had provided her with food and her first taste of coffee. Thinking back, Cara could almost taste the warm silk as it had slid down her throat for the first time. It hadn’t been long before an uncomfortable feeling had her asking for help. With a red face, he had taken her to a small store to use the restroom.
When Billy realized he was late for work, he had hidden her in the back of the truck, explaining that she wouldn’t have to be hidden long, and that his friends would ask to many questions that wouldn’t be safe to answer. Then, he could take her to his home and help her find her sisters. She had lain quietly until he had raised the tarp, motioning her to be quiet, and had hidden her in the truck next to his. Before he had pulled the tarp over her again, she had noticed several cars pulling into the parking lot. The fear on Billy’s face hadn’t needed explanations. She had thought that he would come back for her, and only realized when the truck had began moving that he hadn’t been able to.
Cara felt the truck shake with the door slamming once again and then she felt the truck moving. The long drive seemed endless.
Cara began dozing. She didn’t know how long she had been asleep before she felt herself grabbed and pulled roughly from the truck. Staring up into a furious face, Cara felt herself stifling a scream at the man standing before her. He was definitely no Billy. This man had not an ounce of gentleness or understanding in his body.
“W
hat the hell!” Jericho didn’t need to be told that his hidden hitchhiker was the escaped mental patient. His palm slammed against the side of the truck. “Son of a Bitch! I’ll kill him.”
Cara’s frightened gaze took in his fury, and she started to tremble in fear. He was over six feet tall, his tan face and black hair seemed even darker against his grey-eyed stare. His muscles strained as if he had to hold himself in check from striking her.
Before she could open her mouth, his harsh words cut her short, “Get moving.”
Without looking at her again, he moved to the back of his truck and started pulling out the wheel she had previously been curled against. She watched as he moved the heavy wheel with little effort and then walked to the side of the truck, sliding it on. Cara saw another already lying on the side with a deep gash. When he was done, he picked up the flat one and threw it and some metal things into the back.
Easily jumping up into the bed, he bolted the damaged tire, placing the metal tools into a metal box, before jumping back down. Cara simply stood there in her new clothes and trembled. She didn’t know what to say to this hard man. She had never dealt with one whose soul was so black. Usually it was Grimm who would have been sent out to escort souls such as his.
Cara had not lost all her powers becoming mortal. She could still see the colors of their souls and the loved ones close by that she had escorted to their afterlife standing by them. This man had neither. No one who had loved this man had passed, or he hadn’t cared if they had. Even the serial killers had mothers or fathers who had cared. He had no one.
With a last look at her, he walked to his door, got in and drove off without looking back. Cara’s mouth hung open. The rude bastard had just left her standing on the side of the road. She looked around and saw they were on a two-lane road with no other cars within sight. Cara didn’t know what to do so she merely started walking, not understanding how she had ended up in this predicament.