Encountering Evil: Dark Horse Guardians Book Two

by Armstrong, Ava

  "That was fun." Lara smiled as Ben removed her helmet and goggles and stored the bike in the garage. Heavy with humidity the summer night was without a breeze. Outside of the pink Victorian, frogs were peeping and fireflies lit up the moonless sky. Ben pulled her toward him, "Yes, I enjoyed the swim and being with you." He kissed her once more. As they held hands and walked into the house, Ben reminded her, "Don't forget to put the fourth of July on the calendar. There's a family thing in Newton and Seamus is flying in from Ireland. And, you'll get to meet Moshe and Rachel, they're coming from Israel. It will be especially good to see him." Lara nodded and logged the date onto her phone's calendar. She was excited at the prospect of meeting Ben's family once again. And, she was more than intrigued to meet the mysterious Moshe.

  After Einstein’s evening walk, phone calls were made to Claire, the realtor, and to Sterling Brown and the battle of the farms was scheduled for the next day. Lara watched Ben as he sliced up fresh strawberries, added them to shortcake and topped the delightful mixture with freshly whipped cream. Ben served Lara the perfect dessert as she watched television on the sofa. She strained to eavesdrop on his conversation on the secure phone in the kitchen, "Hey bro, are you okay?" She could only hear his side of the conversation but knew he was talking with Elvis. "Have you been to the urologist? You need to go. I’m telling you to do it and send me the bill. No, man -- I'm not your friggin' mother! I just care about you for Christ's sake!" She watched as he slipped his strawberries into the fridge for later. He continued talking in a low serious tone on the phone with Elvis and Lara assumed Ben won the argument.

  After he hung up he leaned over to kiss her. Then Lara watched his perfect rear end as he left the room. Ben announced as he closed the door, "Time for some weight lifting…need to stay in shape." Lara smiled to herself. Yeah right…you couldn't be in better shape. Those running pants hugged him in just the right places. The very thought of Ben's perfect body gave her a hot flash. The door closed softly and she couldn't hear Ben's footsteps as he drifted down to the basement of the condo where his weight bench lived with his SEAL equipment in a sectioned off area. Einstein curled up near Lara's feet as she enjoyed the strawberry shortcake. She wondered what had happened to Elvis on the last mission and hoped he wasn’t seriously injured. Ben never told her about that part. She wondered for a moment what else he didn’t tell her.

  ~ Ben ~

  While lifting weights in the basement Ben received a cryptic text on his secure satellite phone from Kip Larson, the CIA's Special Activities Division Director. Things appeared on the phone in acronyms, thus it said, "SAD: Langley tom nite 7 PM"—that was it -- another mission was on the table. He would take the direct flight to Norfolk Virginia and rent a car to drive to Langley, as usual. It must be important if it was such short notice. Ben considered the possibilities as he went through his weight training routine. There was one mission he had talked about with Larson only briefly the last time they met. He knew it would be a sensitive operation if no briefing or paperwork preceded it. All verbal. That was fine with him. He didn’t trust Kip Larson as far as he could throw a grand piano. It was better this way for both of them.

  He enjoyed the guessing game; it entertained him while lifting weights. As he ticked through the possibilities in his mind, he narrowed down the options. He knew the Senate Intelligence Committee had recently published a report on drones in the hands of some evil radical Islamic bastards in a place called Islam-berg. Trouble was he didn't know exactly which location it would be as there were at least twenty-two known sites around the country. Islam-bergs were walled-off compounds, some as big as 300 acres, filled with Muslim-only communities who pretended to be peaceful. In reality, most of the inhabitants were former prison inmates converted to a sick radical version of Islam led by a cleric in Pakistan known as Sheikh Butani. The compounds also included multi-national terrorists who shared the same radical views. The hardened criminals made money from a number of illegal acts that included gun-running, bomb making, stealing, and selling drugs, to name a few. When gun shots rang out in these walled-off compounds no policemen dared set foot on the property for fear of being shot. They knew their bodies would never be found. Ben read in the report that the ATF and the FBI couldn't handle the "situation." Due to the politically-correct atmosphere in the United States, Ben sensed the mission to infiltrate these rat's nests would fall to people like him. He would have to wait until he had the meeting with Larson to get the details. He finished his weight routine with push-ups and pull-ups. Then he ran up the stairs two at a time to be with Lara.

  Lara was on the phone with Olivia Henderson inquiring about Don's back injury when Ben got upstairs. He listened to Lara's side of the conversation and sensed she may have been talking about him and switched the subject when he walked into the room. Ben listened as Don got on the phone with Lara. Whatever he said made her laugh at first. Then, she proceeded to give him advice like a concerned sister. Ben was amazed at their close relationship. If he didn't know they were friends he would have assumed they were brother and sister. Lara shared everything with Don. From what he could garner from Lara’s side of the conversation, Don’s pulled muscle was healing and he said something about kicking her ass as soon as he could get back into the dojo. But, in the meantime, she was welcome to slap Bettencourt around.

  As she hung up the phone, Ben pretended to be engrossed in his computer. "How's Don?" he asked. Lara answered, "Oh, he's doing better. I miss him…the crusty old bastard…he never changes. I want to stop over to see him this week," Ben sensed she was trying to disguise the real concern she felt for her close friend. Ben changed the subject and mentioned the meeting at Langley. Lara cuddled up to him on the couch and he stroked her cheek gently. He could sense she was going into "worry mode" once again. This was the only part of his Dark Horse job that he disliked. Leaving Lara behind was becoming more difficult and he toyed with the idea of taking her along on a mission. But he was torn. What if she got hurt? What if the guys on the team felt uncomfortable with her being there? Her presence could change the whole dynamic.

  ~ Lara ~

  With real estate viewing on the agenda, it was a warm and sunny day. Ben mounted the Indian motorcycle with Lara's arms around him as they drove toward Yarmouth Maine and the large farm with the attached barn that Ben seemed to love. Claire met them in the gravel driveway and set her sunglasses atop her head. She read from her iPad while giving them a tour of the place. Lara had to admit, the farmhouse was charming, beautiful and isolated. Twelve acres seemed like a lot of land. Ben was explaining how he could utilize the property. He needed the barn for storage of his equipment. "How much equipment do you have?" Lara jokingly asked. "You haven't seen half of it." Ben sounded serious. Claire rattled off the property's unique features. When Lara walked through the kitchen, she envisioned a complete renovation, $50,000 at least. The one feature that really held her attention was the beautiful screened porch off the side of the house. She could picture herself there on warm summer nights with Ben, reading or watching fire flies. The place had plenty of potential and was big enough for a future family. Lara took photos and created a checklist of needed repairs along the way.

  She could sense that Ben wasn't thrilled with her tepid response. He'd been doing his best selling job for the last hour non-stop. Now he was standing in the gravel driveway looking into Lara's eyes waiting for her to speak, his blue eyes pleading. She couldn't lie to him, "It's beautiful Ben, but I can see a fair amount of renovation. It would be well over $800,000 by the time we did the kitchen. And, the chimneys need to be relined and repaired. If I added it all up, I'd say we'd have $900,000 into the place by the time we're done working on it." Ben seemed deflated, but he stood his ground, "It's half of what the other place costs with six times the land…" She knew he was right, but Lara tried not to appear defensive. "Let's remain neutral until we see both properties." Arm in arm they thanked Claire and said they'd be in touch.

  Back on the motorcycle, Lara held ont
o Ben as he raced from Yarmouth toward Falmouth Foreside. It was a fifteen minute drive and the breeze was a relief as the heat of the day was rising. Lara could see Sterling Brown sitting in a rocking chair waiting for their arrival on the wrap-around porch. The moment Ben drove onto the property, Lara sensed he was taken with everything about it and inside she was doing a happy dance. However, outwardly she remained composed and subdued. She carefully observed Ben's body language noticing how his beautiful blue eyes lit up. Ha! She was pleased that he couldn't conceal his immediate positive response to Clearwater Farm…just as she had hoped. Lara patiently waited as Ben stood there taking in the view, the house itself, the beautiful screened porch, and every architectural detail of the John Calvin Stevens design. The property looked as if it belonged on a calendar titled, “Beautiful Homes of Coastal Maine.”

  ~ Ben ~

  Although he didn't want to, he had to admit that Lara was right about Clearwater Farm. It was everything she had described and more. Ben shook Sterling Brown's strong hand and immediately liked the guy. Before looking at the property Ben wanted to get to know the small leather-skinned man who lived there for seventy years. He was a World War II veteran and when he brought them into his library, Ben scrutinized every photo on the wall. In twenty minutes Ben formed a synopsis of the successful life of Sterling Brown. He was a World War II fighter pilot. He flew a P-38 Lockheed Lightening in the Pacific Theater. His code name was Hedge Hog. He married the woman of his dreams in 1943 in a last minute ceremony on the steps of the courthouse before he was hastily deployed. The marriage certificate and wedding photograph hung prominently on the wall along with medals and ribbons and letters of commendation. He and his wife, Mary Ann, raised five children at Clearwater Farm and had wonderful memories to take with them. After the war, he worked for a defense contractor and traveled extensively. Sterling graciously took Ben on a personal tour of the entire property with Lara trailing behind taking photos. After seeing the house, Ben was pleasantly surprised. It needed no work. In fact, the décor was exactly to his liking – simple seashore style. It reminded him of the cottage he owned on Prince Edward Island but much larger.

  After touring the property, Ben was spellbound. With Lara by his side, he exited the wrap-around screened porch and strolled toward the water's edge. He held Lara's hand as they kicked off their shoes and walked along the private sandy beach. Birds were chirping in the sand dunes nearby. A refreshing saltwater breeze had a cooling effect on what had become a sweltering summer day. The feeling of the wet sand and the gentle waves splashing upon the shore brought Ben back to their wedding night on St. John Island, by far the high point of his life. To be able to live here with Lara and raise a family would be like living in a private paradise. If nothing else, this property would certainly increase in value. He stepped into the frigid ocean water for a moment and paused as he stared at the horizon. Memories flooded back. SEAL memories. BUD/S training, Javier Mendoza, Sam Clark, missions where he spent hours on end beneath the waves attaching explosive devices to enemy vessels. The scenes flashed before his mind's eye in the space of a minute. It was as if the sound, smell and feel of the ocean was part of him and would be forever.

  Watching Ben, Sterling Brown seemed able to read his thoughts. The leathery World War II veteran stayed on the screened porch giving Ben time alone with his young wife. Lara was standing beside him now and staring at the horizon, too. "Ben, I sense that you like this place….a lot…." He uttered three words, "I want it." He held the horizon in his gaze for a moment longer then turned to her. It was then he noticed tears in Lara's beautiful green eyes. "Hey, I didn't want to make you cry…" His strong arms immediately encircled her. Lara whispered, "I'm crying because I'm happy, Ben. I can't help it."

  That sealed the deal for Ben. If this was what she wanted, he would deal with Eliot Stone in his own quiet way. This was the place Lara wanted to call home and it was the place that connected him to everything that made him a SEAL. The ocean, the oversized shingle-style cottage itself, the way the light played upon the landscape…it was all making sense now. He asked Lara to stay on the beach for a moment while he talked with Sterling on the porch. In less than ten minutes the deal was struck. Two million dollars would be wire transferred to Sterling Brown within thirty days. Ben contacted his real estate attorney who would handle all of the details of the closing.

  As Ben and Sterling Brown stepped out of the screened porch, Lara was walking toward them. Ben watched as she gracefully moved toward them barefoot in the sand with an innocent look of anticipation on her beautiful face. "Congratulations!" Sterling said as he shook Lara's hand, "You've got yourself a house!" Lara threw her arms around Sterling Brown and hugged him tightly, squealing with delight. Then, she hugged Ben and whispered, "Thank you, love." Sterling Brown walked them to the motorcycle in the driveway. Ben thought he saw a tear in the old man's eye, but wasn't certain. Sterling remarked, "That's a beautiful motorcycle. I was a Harley man myself -- that was many years ago. But, I've got a great appreciation for the Indian." Ben somehow knew that Sterling Brown was happy that Clearwater Farm would belong to him and Lara.

  ~ Lara ~

  Rushing home, Ben had to get ready to fly to Langley. He made a quick salad with chicken and warmed French bread in the oven. As Lara cleaned the kitchen after eating she watched Ben put together his Langley kit…computer, something that detected listening devices, a nice jacket and tie, his personal sidearm which he was cleared to fly with as long as it was unloaded and packed away. She knew his mind was now elsewhere. He was no longer thinking of anything except what was coming up. At this point he had become a hound on the hunt. He probably had no idea how handsome he was when he had that serious distracted expression on his face. Once he ran through the checklist, he turned to her suddenly realizing she had been studying him all the while. "Oh my darlin' -- don't start worrying already…" there was the Irish brogue. She swore he turned it on to melt her heart.

  "I know," Lara gave him a little smile, "Langley is just a strategy session, and a brief one at that. You'll be back tomorrow." Ben was now at her side and she knew he sensed the flood of emotions bubbling beneath her cool exterior. He snuggly embraced her. Her cheek was pressed upon his chest and she listened to his heartbeat for a long moment. Lara was unable to stop the one tear that slid down her cheek. She didn't want Ben to notice. Forcing herself to laugh, she pulled away and playfully slapped him on the rear. "Get going, you'll be late for your flight." She couldn't fall apart in his presence. It would weigh too heavily on him. Ben gave her a long, lingering kiss on the front porch and she waved as he took a cab to the airport. Then she went inside and cried. And, later she talked on the phone with Olivia for a little while. Olivia always seemed to understand.

  ~ Eric Henderson ~

  Tomorrow Lara would be stopping to check on the renovation of his massive blue and purple Victorian home that he purchased a few months earlier. Lately the relationship with Lara had been anything but comfortable. She kept it all business and rarely looked at him while talking. Eight months ago, Eric had almost succeeded in breaking up the romance that developed between Lara and the Lieutenant. But, Ben's ex-wife confided in Lara. At that point, Eric's nasty behavior was laid bare.

  Lara said she could never forgive him. He wondered if that was true. He now was working in Portland at the biggest investment firm on the East coast. Granted, it was a smaller suburban setting much different than the huge bank in the middle of Boston, but he felt at home in the intimate setting now. Eric was pleased with the hedge fund management position he had. It was his dream job. Being obsessed with making his own portfolio produce income, it only followed logic that he should use those talents to enrich others. His income level shot up to the upper end of six figures. He was the youngest one in his circle of friends with the highest income, but he still was lonely and far from satisfied with his life.

  As Eric walked through the enormous home he purchased, he expected Lara would show up with her intern, Monique
, tomorrow for the walk-through. The contractors were arriving just as he hopped into the black Infinity to drive to work. He was wracking his brain to think of a way to engage Lara in conversation. Maybe he would ask her about his uncle, Don Henderson. Don had been laid up recently with a back injury and hadn't been at the dojo, one of her favorite hangouts. His cell phone chimed with an appointment reminder: a new client, Ali Farouz, was meeting with him. This client was from Pakistan and had a fortune to invest. Eric tapped his phone and his receptionist answered. "Make sure everything is ready for the visit from Ali Farouz." It was a command, not a request, and he disconnected the call and casually tossed the phone onto his Louis Vuitton briefcase on the seat beside him.

  ~ Bettencourt ~

  With warrant in hand, Officer Randall Bettencourt made a Monday morning visit to the West End home where Lara and Ralph Perkins heard blood curdling screams and witnessed a young Persian woman being beaten within an inch of her life. Two other officers followed in a cruiser behind him. After pounding on the door for what seemed like ten minutes, it finally opened. The small thin man servant asked the officers to please leave the property. Bettencourt explained to the servant that he had a warrant to enter the premises and would do so with or without the permission of the owner. "So, how do you want to do this – the easy way or the hard way?" All six-foot-four inches of Randall Bettencourt stared down at the small man as he nervously whispered, "There is no one here but me." Bettencourt took charge and pushed the door wide open, “Then we will make this quick." He waved the other two officers in and they moved through the open doorway.