Encountering Evil: Dark Horse Guardians Book Two

by Armstrong, Ava

  The young girls suffered lashings leaving long red marks on their backs and legs. They were punched and kicked repeatedly and had black and blue marks on their arms, legs and abdomens. The men rarely hit females in the head for fear they would cause permanent brain damage or ruin their attractive qualities. The younger girls, some as young as eleven, had been raped repeatedly and suffered from yeast infections, sexually transmitted diseases and vaginal tears. Several times, Ben had to take a break and use the rest room. He brought a prayer rug and kneeled on the floor briefly allowing the tears to silently roll down his face as he bowed and touched his head to the floor repeatedly. He knew a camera was most likely viewing him, so praying seemed to be the only way to give him the chance to collect himself before continuing the gruesome examinations. But those watching him had no idea he was praying for their demise. In fact his prayer was a silent mantra, “I’ll kill the bastards that did this to you…”

  The rest of the medical exams were done on the women and the injuries and diseases he discovered were as horrendous as those he diagnosed in the young girls. Sexually transmitted diseases were rampant. He made a long list of medical prescriptions and sent Habib to the nearest pharmacy. The women and children would return to the clinic in two days to receive necessary medications and instructions.

  The night after the medical examinations was especially difficult for Ben. He could not sleep and considered killing the men by having an emergency meeting with them. But, he knew in the end it wouldn’t go well if he did it in that manner. It was too risky, there would be too much noise and confusion and he didn’t want the women and children to go through even more distress. He took a deep breath as he stared at the ceiling in his trailer for hours on end. He wanted to kill these men so much he could barely contain himself. He felt like a caged tiger. He fought the anger and brought himself back to the calm collected assassin he knew he could be.

  Ben had been dreaming of killing Farouz and his plans were laid to make it happen. But, he had to steel himself to go along with the fat bastard until September 11th. As the weeks passed, Ben grew to detest the man even more than when he first met him. As he heard about him raping young girls on the compound and beating his wives, Ben fought back the urge to rip the man apart. He had never found it so difficult to exercise restraint. He was coming to the end of his rope.

  Ben had many long conversations with Farouz. Apparently, the fat man liked Ben and trusted him to some degree. Believing he needed a doctor, one day Farouz asked Ben to examine him complaining he wasn't feeling well. He said he'd been having fainting spells and sometimes felt tired and fell asleep. Ben performed the examination, gaining more trust and support from Farouz. Ben gave him his best doctor's advice, "You need to start an exercise program and eat healthy foods." Farouz railed at him, "I get plenty of exercise in the bedroom and I'll eat what pleases me!" Ben took the fat man's blood pressure and it was 230 over 160. He was a stroke waiting to happen. Ben thought he might not have to kill him; he may die on his own.

  That night while alone in the solitude of his trailer on the compound, Ben was thinking of Lara. There were times when he couldn’t wait any longer to hear her voice. To contact her, he made an excuse several times to leave the compound and Habib drove him to Springfield where he could contact her using the secure satellite phone, even though he had to be vague. He just wanted to hear her voice. She was always bubbly and excited to hear from him, but listening to her voice actually made the longing to see her worse. Today she told him about the move to Clearwater farm, "Oh Ben, the house is beautiful. I'm on the beach every morning drinking coffee thinking of you. Mom and Rusty helped so much during the move. Also, Don and Olivia helped that first day and have been over to visit several times. I had a short visit from Eliot the first night I was here. He brought me a picnic dinner and we ate on the back porch."

  As soon as Lara mentioned Eliot Stone, Ben’s body tensed. He hated the guy and sensed the sneaky bastard was madly in love with his wife. But he couldn't prove it. So, he listened as Lara lightheartedly described her interactions with Eliot and tried to ignore the gnawing anger in the pit of his stomach. He made a mental note to meet with Eliot when he returned to have a little talk with him. Lara tried to get Ben to commit to a general time frame as to when he'd be returning home. All he could say was, "It won't be until sometime in September." The silence on the other end of the phone was deafening. He became apologetic and knew he had to hang up.

  ~ Lara ~

  Talking to Ben on the satellite phone only served to magnify Lara's loneliness. The conversation also heightened her concern for Ben's safety. This mission seemed different than the others. Usually he was in and out within a few days or two weeks at the most. This time it seemed he was inside a prison and couldn't tell her anything about it, which only served to feed her greatest fears. Making her rounds at the renovation projects on a sunny August day, Lara decided to stop by the dojo in an attempt to get her mind off worrying. Bettencourt, now with his new alias of Harrington, was teaching a class and would be available for a private ass-kicking in a few minutes.

  She spied him as she walked through the door. His class had just ended and Bettencourt waved to her. Lara was eager to see him, "How do you like your new place?" Bettencourt smiled and calmly said, "It's in a better neighborhood and has a bigger fridge.” Then he added, “Soon, I need you to stop by and give me your renovation advice. I'm going to work on it for a rent discount." Then he looked at his watch and said, "Meet me in the small room for a private smack down." Lara pushed him aside as she headed to the women's locker room, "Yes, get ready big guy, I'm going to put you down!"

  After changing, she tossed her pink leather backpack into the corner of the small dojo room where she planned to take Randall Bettencourt down. Bettencourt was waiting for her. The imposing six-foot-four Ninja cop egged her on for a mixed martial arts contest. After an hour of what seemed like the most grueling match of her life, Lara collapsed against the wall of the room and spit out her mouth guard. "I'm done. You beat me!" she said with a ragged breath. Bettencourt sank down next to her. He was sweaty and exhausted; they sat side by side in silence breathing heavily.

  Without warning, the door of the room opened slightly and a stranger with the lower half of his face covered walked into the room. Instantly recognizing what was coming, Bettencourt was fast on his feet and dragged Lara behind a partial wall. The stranger fired but the round hit the wall. As Bettencourt tossed Lara behind him, she was right next to her bag. She reached in and pulled out the 9mm Glock and steadied her aim. She shot the man twice as he trained his gun on them. One shot hit slightly off center mass. The other one hit his arm. The whole scene took place inside of thirty seconds. Dropping to the floor instantly, the intruder was stopped. She wondered if he was dead. Lara shot the intruder so quickly it seemed he didn't realize she had a gun. How this guy got past the security detail guarding Bettencourt was beyond her. Bettencourt was instantly upon the intruder and kicked his gun away. The man was not dead, but badly wounded and bleeding. As Bettencourt secured the weapon, Lara dialed 911 and the police arrived. Actually, the officer out front who was supposed to be guarding Bettencourt arrived first.

  Lara ended up at the police station with Bettencourt. The mystery man who attempted to take Bettencourt's life was being interrogated. Bettencourt spoke softly to Lara, "Are you all right? Can I get you anything?" She suddenly remembered how kind he was when she was attacked by Bill Stephens, the first time she met him. Lara smiled and touched his hand, "I'm fine, Bett. It's you I'm worried about. Nadia's father just isn't going to stop, is he?" Bettencourt had a somber look on his face. But he knew things that Lara didn't know. "Let's just say the problem is being worked on…and I was lucky to have you there with me today."

  Lara wanted him to come to Clearwater Farm, but Bettencourt politely declined. "Lara, I don't want to bring trouble to your doorstep. Keep that loaded Glock on you and carry plenty of ammo. Maybe I should be carrying a hot pink leat
her sack! Like an idiot, my service weapon was in my locker at the dojo. That won't happen again." Lara's phone rang and she answered to the deep voice of Hawk in her ear. "Did you say 5:00 today?" he asked. In the aftermath of the shooting, Lara had not heard her calendar alert. "Oh, Hawk, I'm sorry. I'm at the police station. It's an unexpected thing. Can I meet you another time?" She waited for a moment and he said, "Sure, tomorrow afternoon at 6:00?" Lara looked at her calendar and replied, "That will be fine."

  Curious, Bettencourt asked, "Who's Hawk?" Lara gave him a brief explanation, "He's a landscape contractor. I've hired him for the Eric Henderson project and I like his work so much, I decided to have him landscape my place." Bettencourt nodded. "Do you know anything about the guy?" Lara exhaled, "You sound exactly like Ben, he asked the same question…actually Hawk has a few things in his past…some jail time and a drug habit. But I understand he went through a rehab program. His wife passed away two years ago and that's about all I know." Bettencourt forgot his own problems for a moment, "Just be careful, Lara. If you are alone with this man at your home, you don't know what might happen. Make sure there are other people around when he's there. Trust no one."

  After a report of the shooting was filed and the mystery man with a gun locked up with no bail, Lara made her way home, exhausted from the events of the afternoon. It took her several hours to come down from the adrenaline rush. She played the scene over in her mind: she shot a man defending Bettencourt. But at least the intruder was alive and would now be interrogated for hours on end. She knew she did the right thing. For some reason, this time, she didn't feel shaky or nauseated, just extremely tired.

  Einstein was waiting for his afternoon walk and she slipped on his leash and took him for a stroll through the neighborhood with her pink leather knapsack on her back. The sun was setting and she was walking by Eliot Stone's estate. His home sat back from the road and Lara was sure he would not see her. But lo and behold, he came out of the driveway running to match her pace. "Lara, I'll walk with you." She faked a little smile as Eliot fell into step beside her. "Your husband must be crazy to leave you alone like this…how is his mother doing?" Lara had to think up another excuse for Ben's absence. "She's better now. But Ben had to attend a security seminar in Boston. He'll be home soon…" She sensed that Eliot knew she was fibbing but he played along nonetheless.

  She recounted the horrible events of her afternoon at the dojo. "It's been a day, Eliot, one I’m glad to see end…I'm exhausted." They were now at the top of her driveway and the sun was slipping toward the horizon. "Would you like some company?" he asked as he gently touched her arm. "Not tonight, Eliot. I just need a good night's sleep. I have a busy day lined up tomorrow. There's so much to do when you move into a house - isn't there? The security system is being installed tomorrow early in the morning." She avoided his eyes and said goodnight briskly walking Einstein down the long drive to her home.

  ~ Eliot Stone~

  As darkness fell, once more Eliot Stone was drawn to the rock that provided a perfect view of Lara's master bedroom window. He presumed she must have ordered window coverings but they hadn't yet arrived. He knew her taste. She would have ordered raw silk and they would need to be custom made. He ceased breathing as he watched her prepare for bed. The night air was heavy with heat and humidity. She went into the master bath and he thought she was taking a shower. She came out with a towel wrapped around her wet hair and she was nude. Yes! She came to the window and opened it to allow the ocean breeze to flow inside. Quickly, he focused the binoculars on her body taking in every detail as he became entranced with her form. Her breasts were perfect. She had the build of a dancer, long and lean, but shapely. He wanted to be in the room with her, kissing her, running his hands over her silky smooth skin, caressing every inch of her. He watched as she spoke on the phone and pulled the towel off her head and wrapped it around her body as she talked. He focused the binoculars on her animated face. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her and make love to her.

  He waited for a long time on the rock with the overgrown raspberry bushes. He exhaled as the light in her bedroom was extinguished. He longed to make some excuse to go inside to her. But instead he climbed the long driveway and walked to his home dialing Cassandra's number on the way. Her voice was seductive, "What do you want me to do tonight, honey?" Eliot walked to the water's edge of his botanical garden. It was a cloudless hot August evening, and if he squinted he could see the shape of Clearwater Farm in the distance. He said to Cassandra, "Pretend that your name is Lara tonight. Tell me what you want me to do to you…and say it slowly…so I can close my eyes and enjoy myself…" As Cassandra spoke to him he relived the raw excitement he felt watching Lara in her bedroom window…he stayed in the botanical garden on the lounge chair for a long time…with his eyes closed in an attempt to exorcize his demons.

  ~ Lara ~

  Ringing her doorbell at 7:00 AM were three average looking men from S&S Alarm Company. Lara was still in her bathrobe and ran to the back door to let them in. They looked too young to be installing wireless alarm systems. Wearing baseball caps with the company logo, they appeared prepubescent. No facial hair, just long curly locks with baseball caps, T-shirts and shorts. They sounded like they were jacked up on caffeine and ready to get to work. The security system sat in boxes piled on the porch and the guy that was in charge shook her hand, "Mrs. Keegan…I'm Paul, and that's Ethan and Dave. We're ready to start. I hope we're not imposing." He was about her height with dark brown hair that was long enough to curl around his ears. The other two workers were blonde and looked like brothers. Lara held her robe tightly around her, "I wasn't expecting you until 8:00…but, go ahead." She waved them inside. With iced Starbucks in their hands the young men made their way through the house marking and measuring along the way.

  Lara returned to the master bathroom to quickly dress and pull herself together. She could've sworn that S&S told her on the phone the workmen would be there at 8:00, thus she thought she had more time. The alarm system was important to her and she just wanted to get the darned thing installed, especially while Ben was away. Of special interest to her were the motion detection security lights outside and the all-night lamppost. Several nights in a row, Einstein barked as she was getting ready for bed. She had looked outside but could detect no one. She made a mental note to check on the custom ordered draperies. She did not like leaving the windows open at night, even though there wasn't a neighbor within sight.

  Two hours lapsed before the S&S Alarm Company guys packed up their tools and left. Before they made their exit, Paul told her the system installation wasn't complete and they'd have to return tomorrow to finish. Disappointed that all of the outside lighting wasn't installed and the security system wasn't up and running, Lara told the installation crew to return tomorrow but indicated she wanted it done pronto.

  She apologized to Paul for cutting him off, but it was now 9:00 AM and the S&S crew left to get to their next appointment. Lara raced to her office at the bungalow to grab samples and renderings for one of the renovation projects. Her day was filled with appointments but the one that was in the forefront of her mind was the large Victorian garden installed at Eric Henderson's purple home. By the end of the day she was hungry and thirsty. The food in her pink leather sack depleted, she sucked on a mint. She was anxious to run through the landscaping punch list with Hawk for the massive project. He sent her a text earlier reminding her that he would meet her at the purple Victorian today at 6:00 to walk through the finished project with her – the perfect Victorian garden – at least that's what he called it. Hawk also mentioned in the text that he had a little surprise for her in the design and she wracked her brain wondering what it could be. One thing she knew for sure, Hawk was a creative and talented designer.

  ~ Grant Hawkins ~

  He felt like this was some sort of debut for him as a designer, but he wasn't sure why this meant so much to him. Leaving his crew at another worksite, he rushed home to take a much needed showe
r. He rummaged through his closet to find a shirt that didn't have a hole in it. Finally dressed in a green polo shirt with freshly washed chinos, he brushed his teeth methodically. Rarely did he use mouthwash and aftershave, or comb his hair. But today he took extra time to make sure he looked and smelled presentable.

  All day his thoughts were about Lara and whether or not she would like the design he had brought to life at the purple Victorian. He also hoped to get the maintenance contract from the home's owner, as he would be there today, too, for the walk through. The owner had to be a person of substantial means. The project came in at $90,000 which was a fortune to Hawk. His bank account would now be plump with cash and if he got the maintenance contract, he might even hire an extra employee.

  Lara's opinion meant everything to him but it wasn't just about the design. He wanted her to like him as a person. For some unknown reason he felt he had something to prove to her. But he didn't know why he felt that way. He admired her and there were times when he thought he might be in love with her. But how could anyone fall in love so quickly and so completely without knowing a person? All he knew was he wanted to make her happy; he looked forward all day to meeting with her and hoped she'd like the small surprise he put into the Victorian garden.

  Tossing his computer and a bottle of spring water into the front seat of his pick-up truck he wound his way through the streets of Portland and arrived early at the purple Victorian. He strode to the back of the house with a small book in his hand and placed it just so in the garden. It was to be a small surprise for Lara. As he rounded the house to the front of the property, the owner Eric Henderson stepped outside and shook his hand. "Great job, Mr. Hawkins…I am very pleased with everything." Hawk smiled and out of the corner of his eye he saw Lara's red Fiat pull into the driveway. His heart stood still.