by Mike Ryan
“I don’t understand.”
“She was targeted by Jeremiah, kidnapped by Sadko, there was the cemetery thing in Jersey, you and her were taken by the guy… Simmons, where I needed Vincent to get you out, Jerrick’s threatened her, now The Scorpions. How much is enough? How much should one woman have to put up with?”
“I wish I had an answer.”
“Well I do. She shouldn’t have to put up with it again.”
“What’s your solution?”
Recker’s mind flashed back to Hawaii. “For the past three months, she was happy, and she was safe. There were no worries, no concerns, nothing to bring her down. Maybe I’m the problem.”
“How so?”
“Because ever since I’ve known her, I’ve always put myself first.”
“Oh, that’s not true.”
“Yes, it is. It’s always been about what I want, and what I needed. It was about revenge for what happened in London, it was about helping people here, it was about me doing what I’ve always known, doing what I was good at, never taking a break. I’ve always felt compelled to do this, because I didn’t know anything else. But I’ve never really stopped to consider what was best for her. Only me.”
“Mike, I think you’re being a bit hard on yourself.”
“Am I? You know, when I lost Carrie, I never thought I’d be lucky enough to find someone else. Never really thought I’d wanna put someone through that again.”
“Yes, I recall those early times quite well still.”
“And if I lose her...”
“You’re not going to lose her. We’ve taken steps, and we’ll take more if need be. She will be as safe as she’s ever been, I promise you that.”
“Yeah, this time. But what about the time after this, and the time after that, and the time after that? It seems to be a continuous cycle, doesn’t it?”
“All cycles come to an end eventually, Mike.”
Recker wiped his hands as he kept thinking about it. “Yeah. Maybe it’s just time.”
“Time for what?”
“Maybe it’s time I start looking at the end. For Mia’s sake.”
“Well, isn’t that kind of what you were doing out there?”
“No, not really. It was more of a recharge your batteries kind of thing. I think we all knew I was probably coming back at some point. It was just something I really needed. A break. But it turned into something more than that.”
“Which was?”
“It showed me what was possible.”
“In what way?”
“It showed me that I was capable of putting everything behind me. That I could relax and break free. That I didn’t have to be haunted by my past. And you know what? I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. I thought that when I was out there, I’d still be thinking about doing things here, dealing with certain situations, wondering what was going on… but I didn’t. And to be quite honest, if it wasn’t for this, I’m not sure I would’ve come back.”
Jones wasn’t quite sure how to respond. Recker sounded like a man who was finished. He couldn’t say he blamed him. With everything he’d ever been through, it was a lot for any person to endure. There was only so much one person could take before they said they’ve had enough. And Recker seemed like he was there.
14
Mia’s first day back at work finished without incident. At least so far. But if anything was going to happen, now was probably the time. Now she was done for the day. Now it was time for the walk back to her car. She texted Recker that she was done, and sent Thrower a message as well, causing the bodyguard to come up and meet her on her floor. He was actually sitting on a bench near the elevator as she approached. They each gave each other a smile. Thrower hit the button on the elevator to go down.
“You ready to do this?”
A confused look came over Mia’s face. “What do you mean? Do what? Is something wrong?”
“Just wanna make sure you’re ready in case.”
The elevator doors opened, the two of them stepping in. “One thing I want you to know about me.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t treat me like I’m naïve, a kid, or an idiot.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Thrower said.
“Then don’t hide things from me. I’m a big girl, I can take it. This isn’t the first time for something like this.”
Thrower cleared his throat. “Understood. I apologize.”
“It’s fine. Is there something wrong?”
Thrower sighed. “I noticed a few people of interest in the parking lot before I came up here.”
“Which means?”
“One car came in, had three of four passengers inside, pulled into a spot and never got out.”
“And why do you think that means they’re here for me?”
The elevator door opened, and they stepped out. “Didn’t say they were for sure. Just struck me as interesting.”
“Maybe they got out while you’re in here.”
“They pulled in about an hour ago. Not exactly normal behavior to sit in your car for an hour after arriving at a hospital. If you’re visiting someone, usually you wanna get in there and do it. If it’s a carpool of workers, nobody arrives for work an hour before and sits there.”
“Which leaves me.”
“Well, there could always be some other explanation that I’m not thinking of. And it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re here for you. But I’m not taking any chances. We’ll find out.”
“How are we gonna do that?”
Just before they got to the main doors, they stopped and stepped to the side, out of sight from anyone looking from the outside.
“I wanna try something and I need you to trust me,” Thrower said.
Mia already wasn’t crazy about the sound of that. “Which means?”
“There’s gonna be one way to know for sure if that car out there is for you.”
“I’m listening.”
“I want you to drive out of here like you always do. But I’m gonna go out first, let them think we’re not together. When I go out, I’m gonna pull over to the side right away and wait for you. If I see that car following, then I’ll get in behind them.”
“And where am I supposed to go?”
“Drive for a few minutes. Let me be sure they really are following you. Then I’ll leave it up to you where you go. You know this city better than I do. Pull in someplace that doesn’t have a lot of traffic.”
“And then what? What are you going to do?”
“Hopefully they’ll pull in after you.”
“Hopefully?”
“I’ll be right on their tail.”
Mia raised her eyebrows. She wasn’t sure about this plan. She still wasn’t sure what Thrower planned to do after all this happened. “Aaand? Am I supposed to let them take me or something?”
Thrower laughed. “No. You shouldn’t even have to get out of the car. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“You’ll take care of it? Um, didn’t you say there were three or four of them?”
“That’s right.”
“And you’re going to take them on all by yourself?”
“Yep.”
“Are you sure about this?”
Thrower smiled. “Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?”
Mia put her thumb and index finger in the air, inching them closer to each other. “A little bit.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine. Trust me. I’ve gone up against bigger odds. I’m not worried.”
Mia took a deep breath. “OK. If you’re sure.”
“Hey, worse comes to worse, once I get there and I confront them, you can take off. I’ll keep them busy long enough for you to get away.”
“And what about you?”
“Like I said, don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”
“OK. If you say so.”
“Oh, one more thing. When we get out there, we’ll talk for a second, then give me a hug.”
<
br /> “What?”
“If they’re watching us, I don’t want them to think I’m a threat. I want them to think we’re just friends or something, and we’re going our separate ways. Otherwise, they might be expecting me.”
“And what if they try something before I get to my car?”
“Then I’ll be around and I’ll run over.”
“Is all this normal for you?”
Thrower laughed again. “Pretty much.”
“And you actually want to keep doing it?”
“Somebody’s gotta.”
“All right, I’ll play along.”
The pair went outside, then stopped in front of the building and talked for a minute. Mia then gave Thrower a hug like he instructed, then the two of them went their separate ways. On the way back to his car, Thrower glanced at the vehicle he was worried about, observing four men still inside. He didn’t focus on it, though, and quickly looked away from them, not wanting to give the impression that he knew what they were up to. They’d find out soon enough.
Once in his car, Thrower quickly drove off. Mia waited an extra minute or two, giving Thrower more than enough time to find another spot to park outside the hospital grounds. Mia started her car, a little nervous about what was likely to transpire.
“Here we go again.”
Even though she’d been through this a few times before, it was never something she would ever get used to. But it was her decision to go through with this, even though Recker warned her. Mia pulled out of the parking lot, looking for Thrower’s car the entire way. She then spotted it on her right-hand side, parked between two other cars. As she passed it, she looked in her rearview mirror, observing another car pulling out of the parking lot as well.
It was happening again. She just had to hope that Thrower was as good as everyone thought he was. Because she was putting a lot of trust in him. As soon as the other car passed Thrower’s position, he waited for another car to pass before he pulled out, wanting to have a vehicle in between them so he wasn’t easily spotted.
As they drove for a few minutes, and Thrower knew what was about to go down, he wasn’t nervous or anxious at all. It was a situation he’d been in many times before. The names and faces would change, the locations would alter, but the situations weren’t all that different. He was quite confident in his ability to handle this one as well. It didn’t matter who he was up against. Or how many.
After several more minutes of driving, Mia finally pulled into a gas station, which was no longer in operation. The concrete dividers on the ground were still there, though the pumps were not. There was plywood covering the windows of the main building. Mia pulled into a spot which would have been the first pump if the place was still in business. Seconds later, another car pulled in behind her.
Mia looked in her rearview mirror, wondering where Thrower was. She didn’t see him yet. She took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. Then, she saw Thrower’s car pull in. She breathed a little easier, though she knew they weren’t out of the woods yet.
Thrower parked in the spot next to the car behind Mia, though there was the divider separating them. Thrower was the first one out of the car. Everyone else stayed put. The men following Mia weren’t quite sure what was going on. They were going under the assumption that Thrower was an undercover cop, so they were trying to play it cool.
Thrower walked up to the passenger in the front seat. He motioned for the man to roll down his window. The man complied. Thrower put his hands on the door and leaned his head down to look inside. All four men inside the vehicle had their eyes fixated on him.
“Can I ask what you guys are doing?” Thrower asked.
“Nothing,” the passenger said. “Just sitting here. Is that a problem?”
“Well, yeah, actually it is.”
“Are you a cop?”
Thrower laughed. “No, I’m just a concerned citizen worried that you’re harassing the young woman in that car over there.”
“If you’re not a cop, then beat it, dude. Before you get hurt.”
“See, I can’t do that. Because I just have this thing that… I don’t know what it is. I just get very annoyed and agitated when big, strong guys such as yourselves, try to hurt people that you think you’re bigger or tougher than. And that really gets under my skin.”
The man in the passenger seat took his right arm and reached across his waist. He then removed a gun, and didn’t mind showing it. “See this? This is gonna get under your skin in a minute if you don’t get out of here.”
“That’s really not very nice. But you know what? Since you’re asking nicely, if you leave now, I promise I won’t kill you?”
The man started laughing, looking at his buddies. “You won’t kill us? That’s pretty funny, man. There’s only one of you. There’s four of us.”
“Exactly my point. The odds are in my favor.”
The man kept laughing. “You’re a hilarious dude, you know that?”
“I prefer laughter over crying, which is what you’re gonna be doing if you stay here any longer.”
“Oh yeah? You think you’re some kind of tough guy or something?”
“Me? Nah. I’m just tougher than you.”
The man laughed again, then looked at the driver. He tried to be sneaky, and quickly brought his gun up and pointed it at Thrower. But Thrower was ready for him. Thrower grabbed the man by the forearm, then punched him in the face. With the man briefly stunned, Thrower pushed his arm across his body, so the gun was pointed at the driver. The man’s finger pulled on the trigger, unloading several rounds into the driver.
Thrower unleashed a few more punches on the man’s face, then knocked the gun out of his hands. He noticed one of the men in the back seat open the door to get out, but Thrower rushed over to him and forcefully pushed the door into him. The man cried out in pain as his arm took the brunt of the blow. He bent over, grabbing at his throbbing arm.
The front-seat passenger got out of the car and attempted to throw a punch at Thrower, but he blocked it, and delivered a couple of kicks to the man’s midsection. The last remaining man had gotten out of the back seat and ran around the car, hoping to come up behind Thrower and sucker punch him. Thrower saw him coming, though, and spun around, unleashing a flurry of punches, alternating between both hands equally. Thrower then grabbed hold of the back of the man’s head, and drove him through the back door window, completely shattering it as the man finally settled down on the seat again, his face covered in glass and blood.
The man whose arm got hit by the door recovered, and drilled Thrower in the back of the head with a blow. Thrower quickly recovered, though, and then used his fighting skills to work the man over. He used a combination of kicks and punches to make quick work of the man. It wasn’t even a contest. After Thrower was through with his opponent, the man slid down to the ground. He was permanently out of the fight.
Thrower turned his attention to the last remaining man. The front-seat passenger was slowly getting back to his feet. He brought his hands up in front of his face and turned them into fists, assuming the boxing pose, though he didn’t exactly seem too eager to keep on fighting considering what had happened to his friends. It was more out of pride that he was continuing on with the battle.
Thrower let out a small grin, knowing his adversary was overmatched. He curled his hands into fists and put them in front of his face as well.
“Who the hell are you, anyway?”
“Already told you,” Thrower said, hitting the man in the nose with a jab from his left hand.
The man spit, but kept up his posture, still believing he had a chance to win this fight. “What, you got a thing for this chick or something?” The man tried to throw a right hand, but Thrower ducked.
“Nope.” Thrower nailed him with a left hook, then a right cross. “Just don’t like people like you.” Thrower hit him with a couple more punches, more or less just toying with the man. He wanted to make sure he delivered a message before he ended th
e contest. “Before I knock you out, I want you to take back something to your boss.”
The man laughed. “Before you knock me out? That’s rich, man. Dude, I’m gonna bury you right here.”
Thrower kicked him in the side with his right leg, just to keep him off guard a little. “You tell your boss that I don’t wanna see you or anyone else following her again.”
“Or what?”
“Or the next time, there won’t only be one of you going to a funeral. Next time, you each get your own box.”
“Dude, I cannot wait to kick your…”
The man never got to finish his threat, as Thrower immediately connected with a roundhouse kick to the side of the man’s head, instantly knocking him to the ground. Between the force of the kick, and the man’s head hitting the concrete, he was out cold. Thrower stood there for a minute, looking like he was admiring his work. In truth, he was just making sure none of them were getting back up. They weren’t.
Thrower looked around, seeing Mia’s car near the exit. In all the excitement, he never even saw or heard her move. As soon as she heard the gunshots, she floored it, intending to leave the scene like Thrower instructed, but she wasn’t going to just flee the scene, and leave Thrower behind by himself. Not that she knew what she was going to do to help if he needed it, but leaving him to deal with everything didn’t seem right. It turned out her fears were unwarranted. Thrower walked over to her car.
“Thought I told you to leave if things went down?”
“I… thought that maybe I could stay and help you somehow if you needed it.”
Thrower smirked. “Oh. Thanks for the thought.”
“I can see you didn’t need it.”
Thrower turned around and looked at the fallen men. “No, not this time. They’ll be back, though.”
“What makes you think they won’t get the message?”
“Honestly? People like that are usually too dumb to understand it. They usually think if they keep it up, they’ll eventually prevail. And they don’t care how many lives are lost to get it.”