by Jason Parent
“I’m nothing like you,” he said through gritted teeth. Am I? He wasn’t so sure. His thoughts turned once again back to that day in Newport, the day he’d become something more than just a lovelorn teenager, the day he’d lost Raquel and a large portion of his humanity with her. He wondered if he’d ever gotten it back. He rubbed his eyes. Carter looked like Carter again.
“You are, Aaron. You may not realize it yet, but recruiting you was my goal all along. You’re going to clean up my loose ends. You’ll carry on my work here long after I’m gone.”
“You’re delusional.” Aaron raised his service pistol and pointed it directly at Carter’s pearly whites. I know how to make him stop smiling. “For what you did to me, Rick, Craig, and everyone else you’ve hurt or killed, I’m going to shoot you now.” Aaron had no more reservations, no guilty conscience to plague him, no moral code standing in his way. His mind was made up. “Any last words?”
“You can’t kill me.” Carter backed up to the window, still smiling.
“The hell I can’t!” Aaron pulled the trigger and kept pulling it, again and again, liking the power behind each squeeze. Liking the control over another’s fate that he never could seem to obtain over his own.
Carter toppled backward, arms flailing. He crashed through the window, its wood pane splintering and its glass shattering.
Aaron didn’t know how many bullets he’d fired, but he was sure it had been enough. More than one had hit its mark. He pulled Brian’s pistol from his holster and replaced it with his own gun.
Backup should be here any second, but that woman may not have a second. She needs my help… and I need a little payback. He headed for the door. “Time to play hero.”
CHAPTER 31
As soon as he heard the shots, Bruce was running. “It came from this way!”
Jocelyn, who was younger and faster, passed him up in seconds, with four officers at her heels. He lost sight of them as they turned a corner around some long-forgotten relic of the city’s booming textile days. Dead leaves rustled across the pavement. Vermin scurried back into their burrows at the sound of the officers’ footsteps.
As he took the corner, Bruce nearly plowed into his partner’s back. “What the—”
Jocelyn placed a finger over her lips, then she pointed at the Toyota Camry parked beside a back entrance. “They’re here.”
She pulled her gun, and Bruce did the same. As they approached the door, broken glass crunched beneath his heels. Jocelyn tried the door and found it unlocked.
When they stepped inside, the area was pitch-black. The officers turned on their heavy flashlights, and Bruce got out his pocket Maglite. The smell of water-rotted wood laced with something sickeningly noxious accosted his nostrils.
A few steps down the hallway, a pounding on the floor above them drove Bruce into a crouch. He shined his light on the ceiling and lit up an intricate pattern of cobwebs. He ran the beam across the area until he spotted a section that had been cleared.
“There,” he whispered, pointing at a trapdoor and the ladder that led up to it.
Aaron stood outside the slightly ajar door, feeling as though he could take on an army, kill every single one of them if he had to without so much as a second thought. And maybe even if he didn’t have to.
He leaned to the side and peeked into the room. Maura had been laid out on the operating table. Her hands were cuffed awkwardly beneath her.
“Those were definitely gunshots,” Kelly said as she paced in and out of his view.
“Maybe Carter had to shoot him,” Doug said.
“Let’s get out of here,” she said.
“Fine. Are you coming, Ricardo?”
“I have to do the girl first.” Ricardo reached for the knife next to Maura.
“Ricardo, there’s no time—”
“He’s right, Kelly,” Doug interrupted. “We have to do the girl first.”
Aaron kicked open the door. “Freeze!”
As he stepped inside, the door rebounded off the wall. He moved to get ahead of it then kicked it closed to make sure none of them could make a run for it.
Doug charged at Aaron like a bull at a matador. Aaron fired three shots before Doug was on him. All three shots had been good, turning Doug into Swiss cheese. But Doug barely slowed. Aaron needed more firepower, maybe a bazooka, to take down the big man.
Doug slammed into him, pancaking him on the floor. Aaron’s head bounced, and a dull tone echoed through his skull. The gun flew from his hand. Doug’s hands encircled Aaron’s neck and squeezed.
Aaron clawed at Doug’s cheeks, scratching until blood trickled down them. He wanted to scoop out the man’s eyes with his thumbs if he could reach them, but they were out of range. He needed to find another weak spot quickly. Aaron dug his middle finger into a gushing bullet hole through Doug’s collarbone.
Doug squealed in pain and grabbed Aaron’s wrist with his right hand. Aaron took the opportunity to grasp Doug’s ring finger on his left hand and pull it back until he heard a satisfying crack.
Doug screamed then drove his forearm into Aaron’s face. Aaron moaned and reached up with a shaking hand to feel the smashed and bloody mess that had moments before been his nose. Waves of pain rocked his whole head.
What felt like bucketloads of blood flowed into the back of his throat, where it collected in a rapidly growing reservoir. If he didn’t sit up, he would drown in it.
Police sirens blared nearby. Doug’s hands again latched around Aaron’s neck. The sirens became louder.
“Forget him!” Kelly shouted. “We have to go. Now!”
But Doug didn’t let go, seemingly intent on strangling him. Aaron could feel his life slipping away.
“She’s right, Doug,” Ricardo said. “We need to leave. The police are coming.”
“Doug!” Kelly yelled again. “Are you listening to me?”
Aaron felt consciousness leaving him. Black fog rolled into his peripheral vision. He groped at his waistband.
“He’s nearly out,” Doug said. “Let’s get out of here.” He raised his head and looked around the room. His grip loosened as he twisted from left to right.
Aaron coughed violently, trying to eject the blood in his throat and allow air back into his lungs.
“Kelly?” Doug called. He stood, planting one mammoth foot on each side of Aaron. “Kelly?”
Dizzy, his vision blurry, Aaron fumbled his holster open and pulled out Brian’s service pistol. “Fuck you, Doug,” Aaron whispered hoarsely. He pulled the trigger.
Doug cupped the side of his head, which was bleeding profusely, and backed away. He leaned against the wall then slid down until his ass rested on the floor.
Aaron sat up and looked around, swinging the pistol from left to right. Kelly had apparently deserted her husband, because the door was open, and she was nowhere to be seen. Ricardo was standing behind the table that held Maura.
Ricardo raised one hand. “Aaron, put the gun down and help me redeem her before it’s too late… for her and for you.”
“Rick, I don’t want to shoot you… well, maybe just a little after what you put me through, but… put the knife down anyway. Or don’t.”
“No, Aaron. It’s her fate and our destiny. We’re saving her. All this is God’s plan. We have done his work. He won’t let you stop me.”
“It’s all lies, Rick. Carter told me so himself before I put him down.”
“Carter’s dead?” Ricardo asked, his voice wavering. “I don’t believe you.”
“You know me. When have I ever lied to you?”
He shook his head. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I always knew it could end like this. All that matters is our mission. It’s bigger than any one of us. There’s just one more part to complete.” Ricardo’s other hand came up. He was holding the knife. He gripped it with both hands and slowly raised
it over his head.
Maura squealed. She clenched her eyes shut, her body trembling so much that it sounded like a drum roll against the table.
“Don’t do it, Rick.” Aaron leveled his gun. “Last warning.”
“You won’t kill me.” Ricardo smiled nervously. “We’ve been through a lot together, you and me. You can’t kill me, just as I couldn’t kill you. You’re my closest friend.”
“After what you did to me, after you betrayed me, you sick, sorry son of a bitch, what the hell makes you so sure about that?” Aaron seethed, finding it harder and harder to keep his anger in check. Ricardo had betrayed him. After all the years, everything they had been through, his best friend had turned his back on him, Tasered him, let Doug beat the shit out of him, and forced him to eat the raw, rubbery meat of Brian’s heart. The last part, he was thinking he might be able to forgive, but the rest…
Ricardo’s shoulders drooped, and he let out a long sigh. He placed the knife on the table. “Okay, Aaron. You win. In the end, you’ll do what’s right, and we’ll have other opportunities.”
“What’s right is me putting a bullet through your skull. That’s what’s right!”
Ricardo snickered.
“What’s so funny? You think this is funny? I can live with the beat-down you and your friends gave me. What I can’t live with is the fact that the one person I trusted in this whole fucking world just took a big ol’ shit on me. And you’re fucking laughing?”
“It’s nothing. Just irony, I guess. Can’t you see? Everything we did to you was done for you. I didn’t betray you. I—”
“You did this for me? For me! Your friend there”—he pointed at Doug—“almost killed me, while you stood there with your thumb up your ass. You would have let him do it. I can’t believe it! You would have let him kill me!” Aaron raised the gun. “You know what, Ricardo. Fuck you. Fuck you!” He squeezed the trigger.
The bullet punctured Ricardo’s forehead. He fell to the ground, knocking the knife onto the floor beside him.
Maura screamed, pulling at her restraints.
Aaron blinked repeatedly as he stared at the spot where his friend had been standing. He shook his head, trying to focus, to make sense of what had just happened. Did I…? Could I…? No, the gun must have just gone off… or I tensed. Yeah, I tensed and squeezed the trigger by accident.
Or… I killed him? The prospect wasn’t nearly as horrifying as Aaron had expected it to be. In fact, he was surprised at just how okay with it he was. Better than okay even. It had to be shock or intoxication, though. He was sure they had drugged him. How would he feel tomorrow? Or next week? Better not to think of it. Not now.
He sneered. His so-called friend had tried to kill him. So I killed him first. The bastard had it coming. For that matter, they all do.
He twisted around and aimed the pistol at Doug, who was still slouched against the wall. The big man’s eyes were glassy. He didn’t appear to be an immediate threat.
Aaron mimed shooting him then blew imaginary smoke from the barrel of his pistol. “You’re already dead. You just don’t know it yet.”
Aaron thought about how, in the movies, people always said crap like “revenge won’t change anything.” He was feeling pretty damn good. Justice was like smoking a joint, but vengeance… that was a high without rival. And topped with whatever drug or hormone his late friend had given him, revenge was pure bliss—for as long as it lasted, anyway. He never knew a high that didn’t end with a low. But Carter said it only gets stronger.
The sound of a creaking hinge snapped him from his thoughts. The cavalry had arrived, and though the officers were undoubtedly trying to be quiet, he heard their movements as if they were in the next room. He went over to Maura, laid his gun on the table beside her, and took out the handcuff key he’d gotten from the furnace room. Once she was free, he helped her off the table.
On her feet, Maura pushed away from him and backed up against the table. She looked frightened, which would have been expected, except the expression was directed at him. She put her hands out in front of her as if warding him off.
He stepped toward her. “Maura?”
Maura grabbed the gun off the table and pointed it at him. “Stay back!” The gun shook in her grip.
Aaron frowned. “Maura… I saved your life.” He eased closer to her. “It’s okay. No one’s going to hurt you. The police are here. I hear them coming.”
She looked around the room then stared at Aaron. Finally, she lowered the weapon. He took the gun away from her with one hand and put his other arm around her. Hesitantly, she leaned against him. A moment later, she buried her face in his neck and let out a sob.
Aaron held her for a few seconds then let go when he heard footsteps approaching. Though it was most likely the police, he raised his gun and pointed it toward the door just in case.
“We have the building surrounded,” Marklin yelled from the hallway. “Drop your weapons, and come out with your hands up.”
Aaron smiled. Maybe I can get away with one more shot. He lowered his weapon. “This is Officer Aaron Pimental. The room is secure.”
Detective Beaudette was the first to appear, gun raised high. She swung her gun toward Maura then lowered her weapon.
“She’s not one of them,” Aaron said. “She was going to be their next victim.”
The other officers followed Marklin into the room. A couple looked a little green around the gills, and another put a hand up to his nose. Aaron realized it must stink pretty badly in there, but he had apparently grown used to the smell.
“Officer Temple?”
Aaron motioned toward the corner.
“Oh.” Beaudette stared at Brian’s body for several seconds. “Well,” she said, composing herself, “thank goodness you’re all right.” She looked at Maura. Her hand flexed around the grip of her pistol, but she left it by her side.
“Then it looks like you’re a hero.” Beaudette’s smile was genuine. “Great work, Officer Pimental.” She saluted.
Hero? Sure, he knew saving the woman was the right thing to do, but Aaron hadn’t truly seen himself as heroic. Revenge and anger had been his motives, not justice and morality. Given the right circumstances, anyone could be a hero… or a killer. And maybe the distinction was only a matter of perception.
“We’ve got a live one here!” Marklin shouted, his fingers pressed against Doug’s wrist.
In an instant, seven officers surrounded Doug, each with their guns pointed at the bullet-ridden giant.
“Lie facedown on the floor and put your hands behind your back,” Marklin ordered.
Doug remained sitting. He stared blankly, like a meth head who’d fried his brain.
Marklin gestured for the officers to move in. “You two… better make that you four, stand guard over him. If he so much as breathes in your direction, take him out. I’ll call in the paramedics, though I’m not sure I want them to get here in time. Fucking cop killer.” He spat and stepped away to use his radio.
“Jeez, Pimental,” Beaudette said. “How many times did you shoot this guy?”
“Four… I think.”
“And he’s still breathing? I can’t even get over a cold without days of rest, and this guy’s calm as a cookie even missing half his face.” She shrugged. “I suppose he’s in shock.”
“You two,” Marklin said to Officers Clemens and Fortuna as he clipped his radio to his belt. “Go with him in the ambulance and stay with him until I get to the hospital.”
Four gunshots rang out in the distance. After a brief silence, a series of blasts followed, as if someone had set off a line of firecrackers.
Marklin grabbed his radio. “What the hell is going on out there?”
Someone responded, “We had the Camry roadblocked. The suspect opened fire.”
“Was it Wainwright?”
“No,
sir. It’s Fournier. The wife. We returned fire. She’s dead.”
“Any of ours hurt?”
“No, sir.”
“Anyone else in the car?”
“No, sir.”
“Roger that. Over.”
Aaron turned to Marklin. “You needn’t worry about Carter Wainwright.”
“Oh yeah?” Marklin squinted. “Why’s that?”
“Because he’s dead. I shot him, and he fell out a window.”
“Show me.” Marklin gestured at Beaudette. “Come with us.”
Aaron led the two detectives down a hallway and around an opening in the floor. No wonder I couldn’t find the way out. I was looking everywhere but down.
Passing officers and lab technicians there to process the scene, they continued into the large room where Aaron and Carter had faced off. Portable fluorescent lanterns and flashlights illuminated the area. Aaron led them to what was left of the loft’s window. Blood stained the glass shards that remained intact.
“I fired my weapon from over there.” Aaron pointed. “Three times. I know I hit him at least once but probably with all three. He fell backward and crashed through the window.”
Marklin poked his head out the window to examine the ground below. “You sure he fell out of this window?” Marklin asked, pulling his head back in.
“Positive.” Just look at the window. It’s broken to bits. There’s blood everywhere. It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. “Why?”
Marklin grimaced. “Because there’s no body down there.”
“Impossible.” Aaron ran to the window. They were four stories up. Carter Wainwright had to be down there. But when he looked, he saw no one, no matter how many times he blinked. “He went out the window… at least I think he went out the window. It was dark, but… no, I’m sure of it. No one could have walked away from a fall like that.”
Marklin raised his radio. “Jensen? Are you sure no one else was in Fournier’s car?”
“Positive, sir.”