Encountering Evil: Dark Horse Guardians Book Two

by Armstrong, Ava

  Lara took Hawk by the hand and grabbed Ben at the same time. “Let’s go outside and look at the landscape design.” The three of them walked the property as Hawk explained the installation in great detail. Lillian and Rusty returned from their walk on the beach with Einstein and joined Hawk’s presentation. As Lara’s husband stared at him with intense blue eyes, Hawk felt a bit nervous. It was as if her husband could see inside his brain and read the thoughts he had about his beautiful wife. Sweat began to form on his upper lip, but he continued with the explanation of the landscape design.

  ~Ben~

  Ben felt he had perhaps judged Hawk too harshly when he first laid eyes on him. He seemed to have a good heart and Ben had no doubt he was a talented designer. The plan he laid before them was impressive. As they sat on the porch Ben turned directly to Hawk, “I think the design is perfect. Let’s do it. What do you need to start? I’ll write you a check.” Ben insisted on cooking dinner for him as a gesture of gratitude. Hawk seemed shy and reserved. “You really don’t have to do that for me…” Ben put his hand on Hawk’s shoulder, “No, I insist. What’s your favorite? Lobster? Steak?” Hawk smiled and said, “Who doesn’t like lobster?” The tension broke and Ben agreed to make a lobster pie for Hawk the next week.

  As he walked to the truck alone with Hawk, Ben embraced him with a SEAL-worthy hug. “Look, man, I just want you to know…I’m truly grateful. She means the world to me. I don’t know what I’d do without Lara in my life. I couldn’t carry on, you know?” Hawk had a somber look on his face and said something that surprised Ben, “You’d carry on. It wouldn’t be easy but you would. I’m speaking from experience.” Ben suddenly remembered that Hawk had lost his wife to cancer just two years ago. Ben apologized, “I’m sorry, man. I didn’t know…” But Hawk was beyond the insensitive comment. He looked Ben squarely in the eye, “You’re a lucky man – she’s a wonderful person.” Ben sensed that Hawk was a perceptive man of observation, much like himself. He watched Hawk drive away and the simple words resonated with him, you’re a lucky man -- she’s a wonderful person.

  With the landscaping plan agreed upon, Ben began setting up his office on the main floor of the house. There was a small study off the master bedroom area that would be perfect for his computers and satellite link. His computers were currently sitting in bubble wrap on the floor. Ben was itching to get everything up and running. He felt completely disconnected from Moshe and his network while away on the lengthy mission. The uplink to the satellite system was live within ten minutes. He drank another cup of coffee and ate a muffin while he synched his devices with the satellite connection.

  Einstein bounded into his office and found a place to sleep. Ben called out to Lara and she appeared in the doorway. “I just wanted to see you, and touch you…come…” Ben motioned for her to sit on his lap and she did. She kissed him tenderly and as he closed his eyes, he still couldn’t believe he was home and Lara was on his lap kissing him. For the past seven weeks while stuck in the squalid trailer he dreamed of moments like this. She started to kiss his face lightly and he felt her hot breath in his ear as she whispered softly. “I love you, Ben. I love you.” He held her face in his hands and searched her eyes with his, “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you want to talk about what happened?” Lara grimaced, “No. It’s over. I already cried about it and thanked God for saving me from my own stupidity. It’s best to put it behind me and live my life – carefully -- but live it as a happy person. I don’t want to be paranoid and afraid for the rest of my life.”

  Ben was relieved that Lara was coping better than he imagined. His eyes held hers and he whispered, “I’m so proud of you. You’re resilient and so very beautiful.” He couldn’t stop himself from kissing her. He could no longer think of work or anything to do with computers. Every cell in his body was consumed with her wonderful feminine scent and Lara’s long silky hair spilling onto his face and chest. She whispered in his ear, “We have a brand new bed and you’ve not even been on it yet…would you like to try it out?” Ben scrambled so quickly he almost tipped the chair over. He carried Lara with his powerful arms to the new bed in the master bedroom a few steps away.

  Although he made love to her in the shower hours earlier, his body suddenly responded to her with reckless abandon. This would not be a quickie like the shower. His mouth touched hers and he felt her lips part ever so slightly. French kissing her, he slipped off his clothes and worked on tugging her shirt and shorts off. Even though they were both naked, he took his time kissing her neck, inhaling her wonderful feminine smell and touching her in all the right places to bring her to a maddening pitch of desire. He had waited seven long weeks for this and he savored every moment. Surprising Ben, she playfully changed places with him and now was above him. Kissing him passionately she ran her hands over his muscled chest touching the ancient pendant. Then she kissed his chest and his abs, nearly driving him crazy. Showering him with light kisses, she moved down and Ben inhaled sharply. She had learned very quickly how to tantalize him. He was immersed in pure pleasure with Lara for the better part of an hour.

  Ben’s first thought was, she missed me as much as I missed her. Then later, when he was alone, he allowed his mind to run wild. He wondered who might have filled his spot while he was gone. Men he despised, like Eliot Stone and that worm, Eric Henderson. He wondered about the contractors on her jobs staying late to talk with her. He even worried about Hawk, although he knew it was a bit improbable that he’d make a move on Lara. It was so difficult for him to overcome the fears he had regarding other men pursuing his gorgeous wife. He wrestled with the fear of losing her and realized he should enjoy every minute he had with her. Be grateful, man. Habib’s words stayed with him.

  The secure phone rang and it was Bettencourt. “Welcome home, Chief. I will swing by if you’re free.” Ben said, “Please do.” As he was putting the final touch on his office, he noticed Lara had moved some items from his university office to his home and was thankful she had done so. The William Earnest Henley poem,“Invictus,” blood-stained and wrinkled was hanging on the wall in a frame that would preserve it. The beheading sword was mounted just beneath it. Whenever he looked at the two items they spurred him on to another mission. He felt he was spared from death for a reason. There was more that he had to do in this world before leaving it.

  Within minutes he heard Lara talking to Bettencourt in the kitchen. Ben ran out to greet his good friend and former Navy SEAL brother. The two men walked to Ben’s newly set-up office but before closing the door, Ben motioned to Lara to join them. She walked in and closed the door softly, “What’s up?” she asked. Ben’s eyes met hers. “I want you to hear this information.” Bettencourt spoke of Nadia and her plans to remain in Rhode Island to finish her senior year of high school. Also, he mentioned Eric Henderson and his criminal involvement with Ali Farouz, and how Farouz was funding the terrorist compounds. Bettencourt’s face became serious and he focused on Ben, “If the SEC gets into this, Henderson will surely be in prison for a number of years. How do you want to handle this, Chief?”

  This was Ben’s moment to squash the little bug he knew buzzed around his wife every time he went on a mission. He hated Eric Henderson and all men like him. But he also knew he had to maintain the secrecy surrounding the mission. “Let’s leverage him.” Ben said after thinking for a moment. “Tell him that you will keep him out of prison if he feeds you the information you request.” Ben studied Bettencourt and continued, “For security reasons, I can’t appear to be part of this. Bettencourt nodded, “You tell me what you want for information, Chief, and I’ll get it out of him.”

  Ben knew that Eric Henderson was much more valuable to him as an informant than as an inmate’s bitch in prison. Plus, he knew the little bastard would do anything to save himself from such a fate. “Good, I’ll give you a list of items that I want to see, financial records from overseas clients. You can bring him an encrypted USB drive and he can store it on there and give it to you.” As Bettenco
urt rose to leave, Ben added, “Oh, one more little detail. Make sure that asshole, Eric Henderson, gives you the $300,000 that Ali Farouz gave him as a tip.” That money will be used to resettle the women and children from the compound. In fact, we’ll confiscate as much of Farouz’s fortune as possible to set the women up with small business ventures. These women need something to sustain themselves and their children.” Bettencourt smiled and winked, “Good thinking.”

  ~Bettencourt~

  Before he left, Bettencourt paused to ask Lara how she was feeling. He embraced her with a friendly bear hug and whispered, “He’s home now. Everything will be fine.” In a moment he was in his police cruiser and off to another call. For the past few weeks since Lara had moved to Clearwater Farm, Bettencourt had been cruising along the waterfront neighborhood on the night shift. It was the night of the impromptu picnic. Being a former Navy SEAL and having a naturally curious personality, Bettencourt started parking his cruiser after dark and doing reconnaissance around Lara’s house.

  What he discovered shocked and amazed him. The well-heeled playboy, Eliot Stone, was perched in the bushes behind Lara’s house. It was obvious to Bettencourt that Eliot had been watching Lara with binoculars for quite some time. He sat hidden almost motionless outside her bedroom window. Bettencourt sensed the guy was smitten with Lara, but never figured him for a voyeur. He had given serious thought to arresting him on the spot, but realized the powerful rich boy would fight the case and possibly win it. Thus, he wondered what purpose it would serve to arrest him. He also knew he couldn’t tell Ben because he’d most likely strangle Eliot Stone with his bare hands. Eliot left after about two hours and Bettencourt knew he was getting off on the whole scene. That was the end of it, for that night. The officer knew he had to do something to stop the creep, and protect Lara.

  Bettencourt decided to handle the situation his own way. He requested a meeting with Eliot Stone at a small grocery market within walking distance from his house. It was a neutral location with space in back that held a few tables and chairs so shoppers could sample the freshly baked goods of the day. The meeting was to take place in five minutes. The cruiser was parked out of sight down the street and Bettencourt strode inside. Most of the people in the small town of Falmouth were now familiar with the tall officer and said hello or nodded. As he sat in the corner, he watched Eliot Stone make his way to the table. Eliot dropped a note on Bettencourt’s table without anyone noticing. Then he placed his bakery order. The note simply said, Can we meet somewhere else? Everyone knows me here.” Bettencourt wrote on the piece of paper, “Community Park in Falmouth” and handed it to Eliot, “I think you dropped this.” He then bought a blueberry muffin, waved goodbye to the patrons in the store and cruised to the park.

  Within a few minutes, the white 1956 Bentley pulled behind the cruiser. Eliot Stone climbed out of the Bentley as Bettencourt got out of his cruiser. The two men walked side by side through the huge park, now empty except for a few children on the swings at the playground. Bettencourt could see the sweat forming on Eliot’s upper lip, a sure sign of nervousness. “What’s this all about? Why do you need to see me?” Eliot demanded. Bettencourt stopped walking and looked into his eyes, “I think you know why…”

  ~Eliot Stone~

  Eliot was trying to stop the panicky feeling but he was now sweating and shaking. He knew that it was possible that Bettencourt saw him watching Lara. But was he really breaking the law? He was her neighbor and concerned about her living there all alone in the big house. He had brought a picnic lunch to her the first night she was there alone. They were close friends.

  Eliot was sweating because he knew voyeurism was a felony and he’d do anything not to suffer the consequences. Attempting to sound calm and composed, Eliot spoke, “Lara and I are good friends. If you are referring to my visits to her home since she moved two doors down from me, then yes, I’m guilty of being a good neighbor and looking out for her.” But he knew what Bettencourt was going to say and the big man said it, “Looking inside her windows at night while she’s undressing…that’s not being a good neighbor. That’s against the law.” Eliot felt he had to defend himself immediately, “I never looked inside her window. I merely forgot an item in the dinghy and walked back to retrieve it.” The next sentence out of Bettencourt let Eliot know he had seen everything. “Yes, you retrieved the binoculars. But you didn’t leave. You sat in that patch of raspberry bushes and pleasured yourself while you watched her get ready for bed. That’s a class C felony. You can go to jail for that, Mr. Stone.”

  Eliot now felt he was backed into a corner. “Well, if that’s the case, why didn’t you arrest me right there?” Bettencourt hesitated. His answer was thoughtful and courteous, “I wanted to talk with you first. You didn’t photograph her or attempt to go inside of the residence. And, I know Lara trusts you and considers you to be a good friend. I didn’t want to hurt her by exposing your sick little fantasy.” Bettencourt now grabbed Eliot’s collar and lifted him off the ground. He pulled Eliot’s face close as he growled, “Look, you little son-of-a-bitch…I care about Lara…she’s my friend. I’m going to tell her about this, but pressing charges against you will be up to her. I know you’ve got the money to hire the best lawyers and I know you’d worm your way out of it somehow. That’s why I didn’t arrest you! But I’m warning you – stay away from her house. If I tell her husband about this, I can’t be held responsible for what he might do.”

  Humiliated, Eliot pulled away from Bettencourt, “Is that a threat?” Bettencourt snorted, “No, it’s a promise. Stay away from her residence. It’s private property. And, you’d be wise to stay away from her – period. She’s a happily married woman.” With that, Bettencourt walked back to his cruiser, got in and sped away. Eliot stood in the park for a moment as he tried to catch his breath. For a terrifying instant he thought he’d be pummeled by Bettencourt and only his driver would bear witness to the thrashing. But, thank God, that didn’t happen. Eliot was now worried about Bettencourt telling Lara. He had to get to her first. In the Bentley he dialed her number, “Lara, how about meeting me at your office today and we will go over some new potential clients. They’re small projects, but right up your alley.” He listened as her feminine voice said, “Sure, Eliot, what time?”

  ~Lara~

  Life was slowly returning to normal, whatever that was. At least Ben was home and they resumed a semblance of routine as they walked Einstein and prepared meals and enjoyed the last vestiges of summer. Bettencourt had left a message on her cell phone saying he needed to see her. She wasn’t sure what he wanted to talk about and assumed it might be advice about Monique. She knew the two of them were getting serious. As she cruised to the bungalow she remembered Eliot Stone was arriving for lunch. She called the deli two doors down from the bungalow and ordered lunch to be delivered. She returned the call to Bettencourt and his voice came over the speaker in her car. “Hi Lara.” She queried, “What’s up, Bett? If you need to see me, I’ll be at the bungalow in a few minutes. Do you want to meet me there?” He was on duty, but said he’d be there in a jiffy.

  Monique was already inside on the phone with a client when Lara arrived and she waved. Contractors came and went pulling forms from a rack hanging on the wall and checking in for items ordered for each project. Lara waited patiently and returned calls to clients as she watched through the window for Bettencourt’s cruiser.

  ~Eliot Stone~

  He had completely forgotten that the Bentley would be in the shop for service and the driver was off for the rest of the day. The Porche 911 turbo was sitting in the garage. Eliot wedged himself into the stylish white sports car and turned the key. A low rumble came from the engine and he put it into first gear and pulled into the roadway. He hadn’t driven for so long he couldn’t remember the last time. Eliot wanted to get to Lara’s bungalow early to catch her before Bettencourt did. Shifting the sports car into second, then third, he suddenly felt a rush of freedom. He pushed the Porsche to a higher speed enjo
ying the exhilaration of driving wondering why he didn’t do it more often. Well over the speed limit, the sports car was built to hug the curves. Now testing the power of the vehicle’s thermodynamic limits, he suddenly heard a strange noise and the Porsche jerked to the left and he lost control. A flat tire, damn, Eliot was disappointed. But as his foot hit the brake pedal the vehicle swerved wildly over the double line. He downshifted and braked harder but that caused the car to veer to the right. At a high rate of speed the Porsche tumbled down a steep embankment. Eliot Stone lost consciousness.

  ~Bettencourt~

  Driving his cruiser along the main road in Falmouth Foreside, Bettencourt saw fresh skid marks and his eyes riveted on a small white sports car that had just gone off the road moments before he rounded the bend. He stopped his cruiser and dialed 911. Bettencourt carefully crawled down the rocky embankment to get to the car wondering if the driver was still alive. The white sports car had hit a tree head-on. Smoke and steam was pouring out of the engine making a hissing sound. There was nothing left of the vehicle. The entire front end was wrapped around the tree. The driver had collided with the steering wheel, the windshield and the tree with great force. A massive amount of blood covered the driver’s face and the dashboard, or what was left of it. Not knowing the identity of the man, Bettencourt’s first instinct was to check his wrist for a pulse. Nothing. Within a few minutes the police and ambulance arrived. One of the officers on the scene yelled, “Hey, don’t move this stuff until the accident reconstruction guys get here.”

  The man’s wallet was pulled from the wreckage and when Bettencourt looked at the license inside he was shocked to recognize the driver. Only hours before he had spoken with Eliot Stone and now the man was dead. Bettencourt’s phone rang, it was Lara. “Hey, where are you? I’m here at the bungalow waiting.” Bettencourt somberly whispered, “I’ll be right there. We need to talk.”