by Leah Murray
Once they were far enough away from the house, he turned to Shaun, not bothering to hide the rage anymore. `How the fuck do we get this bastard?’
Shaun shook his head. `It’s difficult Will. We know who he is and we know what he looks like but we haven’t been able to trace him. I’ve had men door knocking at every house, inn and B&B in a twelve-mile radius, we’ve checked out car rental companies, are going through passenger lists from aircraft and shipping lines but until we find some solid evidence our hands are tied.’
`He’s fucking with me now Shaun. I’m not going to take this.’
`Will you have to try calm down, work with the system. There are things we can do.’
Will snorted. `I’m giving you fair warning Shaun. If I find him I’ll kill him.’
Shaun groaned. `Will, you can’t say that sort of thing. Particularly not to me.’
`What the fuck do you expect me to say?’
Shaun shifted, uncomfortably. `You’re putting me in a difficult position here.`
`Oh for fuck’s sake. Just tell me what you plan on doing now.’
Shaun sighed `First off, find out how he got your number. Second, see if we can get a restraining order so if we do see him we have legal authority to arrest him. This is enough to constitute a threat, especially given his history with Jo’
`No shit.’
`Will. I’m on your side here.’
`What can I do now?’
Shaun grimaced. `Nothing much. Just keep an eye on her, tighten security, don’t leave any doors or windows unlocked.’
Will swore, dragged his hand through his hair. God. Handicapped. That’s how he felt. He couldn’t do a damn thing except sit tight and wait for the bastard to make the next move. It was more than he could stand.
`Look, I need to clear my head. I’m going for a walk. Keep an eye on Jo.’
There was a long moment of silence.
`Okay,’ Shaun replied eventually, his annoyance obvious. But at that particular
moment Will didn’t really give a shit. He stalked off into the dark, trying to walk off the frustration. He passed Grant’s cottage, saw the light on in the lounge, warm and inviting, and felt a tug at his heart. Home. That was what he needed. Home. Comfort. Not more damn shit. But that seemed to be his Godamn lot in life.
He sighed, bent and picked up some pebbles, flung them aimlessly out into the dark mass of fields beside him as he walked. He turned when he reached the end of the driveway, started back to the house.
He was half-way home when he heard the gun shot.
It was sudden, loud and followed by a sharp yelp.
At a frenzy of growls and barks, he raced into the field across from him, cursing at the dim light. At last, he came across Jess.
But there was no sign of Nemo.
A sudden fear gripped his heart and he knew with a grim certainty the cause of the yelp.
Finally he found him.
Lying still, a pool of dark red blood soaking the ground around him.
`Goddammit,’ Will heard his voice break and clenched his jaw, bent down, felt for a pulse.
It was weak, but it was there. A wave of relief rushed through him as Nemo whined, wagged his tail faintly. Cursing, he bent down, picked Nemo up and started back towards the house. He could feel the warmth of the blood trickling over his chest and dripping from his hand and hoped to God he wasn’t too late.
`Will!’
The sudden shout came from directly ahead of him and he saw Shaun pushing through the maize.
`Go get Jo,’ he yelled and Shaun hesitated, saw the dog and nodded, turned and ran back to the house.
Jo had rushed after Shaun as soon as she heard the shot. Her first thought was of Will and she paled as she saw Shaun burst out the maize field and come running towards her.
`It’s one of the dogs,’ he yelled and she looked past him, saw Will emerge from the edge of the field carrying Nemo and knew from the amount of blood covering him that they were in serious trouble.
`I need a towel and my keys. They’re on the table in the lounge,’ she said, heading towards Will and hoping someone had heard.
She ran over to the Land Rover, opened the back door.
`Here, put him in the back,’ she called to Will and he came over, laid Nemo down gently.
She clambered up into the back of the car and had a quick look at the wound. It seemed the bullet had hit the top of his left hind leg but the amount of blood and the poor light made it difficult to tell for certain. She grabbed the towel Grant handed her, barely registering that he had come running out the cottage.
`We need to get to the surgery fast,’ she said to Will, wrapping the towel around Nemo and holding it tight in an attempt to stop the flow of blood.
Will started the engine and reversed, braking suddenly as Julia came running out the house waving the keys to the surgery.
Jo gritted her teeth and did her best to keep pressure on the wound but the towel was soaked through in a matter of seconds and Nemo was becoming agitated. It took all her strength to keep him lying still and reasonably calm.
At the surgery, she rushed to open the door while Will lifted Nemo out the back, followed her in. She headed into the operating room, switching lights on and grabbing a heat pad on her way.
`Here, put him down,’ she said, hastily setting the heat pad on the table.
`Hold him tight, I’m going to have to hook him up to an IV.’
Nemo whined slightly as she inserted the needle for the drip but Will held him steady.
`Do you think he’s eaten anything since breakfast?’
`I don’t know, usually I only feed them in the morning.’
`Okay, well hold his mouth open, he isn’t going to like this,’ she said, leaning over to insert the breathing tube into Nemo’s windpipe, checking on the oxygen and anesthesia settings.
`I’m going to check the wound but I need you to watch for me.’ She pointed at the heart rate monitor. `This is low because he’s in shock, it will speed up a bit shortly but any huge jumps or increases I want to know about it.’
She pointed at the pulse oximeter. `Same goes here. This measures oxygen levels in the blood, if it falls drastically I need to know.’
Will nodded. `Okay,’ he said, his voice surprisingly calm. She looked at her watch and bent over Nemo. Once she was sure the anesthetics were working and that he was stable, she moved over to have a look at the wound, removing the towel and doing a general check.
After taking some X-rays, she donned a surgical gown and cap, grimacing as she realized that Will was still covered in blood.
`Try clean up, then put this on,’ she said, handing him a gown.
He looked down at his chest and frowned, started scrubbing while she made a start on cleaning the wound. After clipping the hair and flushing the wound with fluids, she made a small cut just above Nemo’s left hind leg, happy to find the damage was mostly superficial. It didn’t take long to find the bullet and, since it was easily reached, she pulled it out and laid it on the table.
Will leaned over and had a look. `Handgun’ he said, his voice terse.
She looked up, surprised, nodded. `Yes. It was fired from a distance too or there’d be a lot more damage. I’d say more than twenty yards away.’
`Bastard.’
She turned away, tried not to think about how all of this was her fault and stitched up the wound with neat, tight stitches. `Okay, we’ll get him into recovery and after that there isn’t really much more we can do. It’s a lot better than I thought initially, anyway. Now we’ve got the bleeding sorted, I don’t think there’s much to worry about.’
Will looked relieved and suddenly tired.
`Why don’t you go and sit out in the waiting room and I’ll finish up in here. I’ll be out in a sec,’ Jo said.
When she’d settled Nemo down for the night, she went looking for Will, found him outside, leaning against the wall smoking, a dark shadow highlighted here and there by the light of the moon
and the orange-red flare of the cigarette.
Wearing only the pair of jeans, slightly bloodied and with his hair on the longish side, he looked feral, dangerous, and she hesitated, suddenly nervous. But she stepped outside.
`I didn’t know you smoked.’
He turned, looked at her, drew in a deep breath of nicotine but didn’t reply.
`I haven’t for a few weeks,’ he said. `I’d actually given up. I found a pack in the car.’
She frowned, saw his hands were shaking slightly.
`Will, are you okay?’
He nodded, leaned his head back and stared up at the stars. `He’s made this personal now you know,’ he said after a long pause.
She felt herself tense, tried not to show it. `I’m sorry.’
He turned back to her, looked at her long and hard before replying. `It’s not your fault Jo. But this does mean it ends here. That was against me, not you. And I’m not going to sit back and take it.’
She bristled. `Like I do?’
`No, that’s not what I meant …. but he’s playing in a different league now.’
He stubbed the cigarette out with his heel and she felt a chill run through her, sensed the anger in him. No, the rage.
It bothered her.
`Will ... you know, I hope he gets what’s coming to him. I really do. I just ... well, I just don’t want you to get too involved in this. Whatever it is that’s happened to you, whatever Julia said you were recovering from, please don’t let this pull you back into that. I don’t want to be responsible for doing that to you.’
She sensed the surprise in him but he didn’t comment, and after a while, she shivered.
`It’s cold. I’ll lock up and then we should go home, there isn’t much more we can do here now.’
There were still police cars and men with dogs at the farm when they returned. They went into the kitchen, found Julia making tea and coffee. Shaun was sitting at the table talking to an officer who was taking notes, a small plastic bag sat on the table in front of him.
`Everything okay?’ Julia asked when she saw them.
`Yes, the wound was mostly superficial. He should be fine,’ Jo replied.
Julia nodded, relieved.
`Did you manage to get the bullet?’ Shaun asked.
Jo nodded. `I’ve bagged it, it’s at the surgery. I’ve got X-rays too.’
`Semi-automatic, a 9 mm I’d say,’ Will said and Shaun nodded, indicated for the other man to make a note.
`Okay, we’ll get forensics on it tomorrow.’
He turned to Jo.
`Do you know if Jack was ever involved with guns in any legal capacity? Police, military?’
She frowned. `Not that I know of. He was working in hardware sales when I knew him.’
Shaun nodded. He picked up one of the plastic bags and handed it to Jo. `Recognize this?’
She took the packet, looked at the gold heart-shaped locket inside and clenched her fists. `Yes, he gave it to me for our one year anniversary, just before I broke up with him.’
`Did you give it back to him?’
`No. I forgot all about it. I kept it in a box in my dresser. He must’ve been in my house.’
She felt Will tense behind her and reached out a hand for his, squeezing it gently in an attempt to tell him to calm down.
A man came in and told Shaun they were calling off the search, hadn’t been able to find anyone. Shaun sighed, rubbed his hands across his eyes and turned to Julia. `Well I guess we’ll head off too. Not much more to do here.’
She nodded and he turned to Will. `As I said before, all you can do now is keep the house secure and not leave her alone.’
Will groaned but nodded. He walked them to the door while Jo sat at the kitchen table, sipping on the tea Julia had made for her and trying not to brood over what had happened.
Once everyone had left, Will came back into the kitchen and sat across from her.
`You should go get cleaned up,’ she said, smiling faintly.
He looked down and grimaced, nodded. `Yeah. You too.’
`Okay, you want to go up first? I’m going to make some toast. I’m hungry and believe it or not it’s only ten. Do you want anything to eat?’
`Yep. I’ll go up now. Couple of pieces of toast will be fine.’
He left and she busied herself making the toast, went up to shower when he was finished. After changing into her pajamas, she sat on the edge of his bed.
`I’m really sorry to get you involved in all this Will.’
He sighed, rubbed his temple. `Stop blaming yourself Jo. He’s the one doing this, not you.’
She watched him for a minute, nodded. He held out a hand and she went over to his side of the bed, curled up next to him, leant her head on his shoulder. `I don’t think I’m going to sleep much tonight,’ she said as he stuck his arm around her shoulders.
`I probably won’t either. Stay and watch TV. It’ll take your mind off things.’
Once he was sure Jo was asleep, Will got off the bed and went over to the cupboard. He stood staring at the shoebox in the top left hand corner before reaching out and pulling it down. He sat cross-legged on the floor and opened it, clenched his jaw as the first thing he saw was a photograph.
They looked so young and cocky, the four of them in uniform, standing on board ship, the helicopter behind them. He remembered the day they’d been told where they were going.
`Godammit. Iraq. Yeah baby, we’re going to the desert man, going to show those mother fuckers who they’re messing with,’ Jamie had said, the veins on his neck popping out as he bent, mimed a spray of machine gun fire at the room. Cam was lying on a bunk, reading a magazine and he’d merely shrugged, looked up at Jamie.
`I don’t know what you’re so happy about. I’m getting out after this. Going to Hawaii, catch some surf. Maybe I’ll turn pro. I’m good you know, was on TV once.’
`Do you reckon we’ll be back by Christmas?’ Mike had asked and they’d all turned to him.
`Dunno, why?’ Jamie had said.
`I need to be back for a wedding.’
`Whose?’ Cam asked.
Mike had smiled. `Mine.’
`Godammit!’ Jamie had yelled, pouncing on him and the two of them had rolled on the floor in a mock celebration fight.
`Finally talked her into it hey? Poor woman,’ Cam had said, grinning hugely.
`Congratulations,’ Will had said from his bunk and all three of them had turned to him, their faces shining with hope and dreams and happiness.
`What about you Will. What you going to do when you get back?’
He couldn’t remember what he’d said, could only see the three of them sitting there grinning at him like idiots.
Now he shook his head, rubbed at his eyes with his elbow and deliberately placed the photo face down on the floor.
He looked back at the box, grimaced in disgust at the small velvet-covered cases inside but couldn’t stop himself opening one, looking at the gaudy silver medal with the lion etched on it, the strip of red across the top. The badges they’d pinned on him when they’d decided he was a hero. He shut the case and almost threw it across the room but remembered Jo, turned to look at her, her body soft and gentle with sleep.
He clenched his jaw again, reached back in the box for what he’d been looking for initially. He unwound the white fabric, sat looking down at the black of the gun.
No, he hadn’t been a hero. He’d simply done what he’d signed up to do.
Defend. Protect. Survive.
He turned to look back at Jo, gritted his teeth with grim determination.
CHAPTER 16
`Okay, all I need now is basil then we can go.’
Will leaned on the trolley, amused. `Are you sure you can fit it in? You’ve bought up half the shop already.’
Jo raised an eyebrow at him. `Just because you are willing to live on toast and beer doesn’t mean I am.’
He laughed and she turned her back on him and headed down the aisle t
o find the herbs. Luckily they’d eaten out most of that week but when she’d had to have toast for breakfast again and found he’d run out of coffee, she simply couldn’t take it anymore.
Will had decided to have the day off and after he’d come round to check on Nemo and spent some time with him, she’d asked Ian if she could leave early. He’d been happy to let her go so now they were in the supermarket, stocking up on groceries. She didn’t know how much longer she’d be staying at Will’s place but figured he could live off what was left when she finally went home.
`Ah, here it is. Cool.’
She popped it in the trolley and headed towards the checkouts, Will following along behind her at a leisurely pace.
`You act like it’s a treat to go shopping,’ she said as they waited.
He grinned. `It is in a way. I haven’t had a full on shop for almost a year.’
Her jaw dropped. `Oh my God, you are worse than I thought. How do you even survive?’
`Luck. And beautiful women,’ he said, winking.
She rolled her eyes, bent down to leaf through a magazine and pretended not to notice him watching her.
Back at his place, she started packing the groceries in the pantry and the fridge.
`Wow, they actually look full. There’s so much to choose from. Where’ve you been all my life?’ Will asked, coming in with the last packet.
`Ha ha. Flattery won’t get you anywhere. Now, what do you want for dinner?’
He wrapped his arms around her. `Well ….’
`Will! Be serious for a moment please,’ she said, somehow managing to disentangle herself while he sat down at the kitchen table, laughing.
`Whatever. I don’t mind as long as it tastes good.’
`Hmmm.’
She pursed her lips, chewing on a strand of hair as she tried to decide what she felt like.
`How about pizza?’
`You can make pizza?’
`Well, I’ll use shop bases but yeah, I feel like pizza. With mushrooms, tomatoes, green pepper, ham. You can have the same or I can make a different one for you?’
He shrugged. `Sounds good to me. I’ll have what you’re having.’