Wicked Nights

by A. D. Justice

  “You think we don’t know that?” Joe asked, somewhat amused.

  “You don’t act like you know that, Joe,” Brianna answered honestly. “You’ve played into his trap both times. See what he does when you change your response to him.”

  “Good idea. We’ll try that,” Joe answered.

  “Why didn’t you think of that before now?” Liz asked. “And the cell phones—why didn’t you know about that?

  Joe and Bill exchanged glances, but they’d already learned the hard way it was best not to engage Liz directly. They’d been embarrassed one too many times by the sweet, little old lady who wasn’t afraid to put them in their place or call them out on their screw-ups.

  “That’s exactly why we aren’t taking any chances with the next package. The armored van with a portable X-ray machine in the back will be parked at the curb so any package can be viewed remotely through our secure wireless connection,” Joe replied.

  When the delivery van pulled up to the gate with the third package, the agents were waiting to see what Ali had sent that time. They quickly took the package, secured it in the X-ray machine, and signaled to the technician inside the house that it was ready for inspection.

  “Here goes nothing,” Rob, the technician, uttered to himself.

  The image lit up on the screen, and Rob cringed when he recognized a couple of the more obvious items. Rob knew Reaper would be out for blood when he found out what was in it. The screening didn’t reveal any explosive or dangerous contents, so Rob approved for it to be opened. When Joe brought the package inside the house, Rob quietly moved away to avoid Reaper’s wrath.

  “What the hell?” Reaper bellowed. “Wait until I get my hands on him.”

  “What is it now?” Brianna asked.

  “Baby presents. Engraved baby presents that have his last name on them,” Reaper growled. “I’m going to kill him.”

  Brianna put her hand on his arm, her touch instantly calming him, and she rose up on her tiptoes to place a chaste kiss on his cheek. “You know he’s just trying to rile you up. Don’t give him the satisfaction.”

  “You know I’ve never been rational when it comes to you,” he replied. “Definitely not when another man is trying to claim my baby.” His hand slid across her stomach in his protective and possessive display.

  “Yeah, we all know I’m yours, Noah,” she cooed.

  “He’s definitely toying with you. This isn’t the normal MO for a terrorist group. It’s possible that he’s a lone wolf, banking on his seventy-two virgins waiting for him when he takes out a few infidels. But this package is much more personal, whereas the previous ones were macabre,” Bill said as he inspected the contents. “Mixed signals again.”

  “This guy is one big screwed-up mess,” Liz chimed in. “That’s my official diagnosis. I’ll send you my bill. But I charge extra for house calls.”

  Bill stared at Liz for several moments while keeping his face expressionless. In return, she gave him a toothy grin, shrugged one shoulder, and flipped her shoulder-length gray hair as she turned away from him. He shook his head and chuckled lightly to himself. It took too much energy to be aggravated with her when she so thoroughly amused him.

  “What’s the plan now?” Noah asked. “We’ve been at this for weeks now. Shadow and Rebel have been out there interviewing everyone who’s had dealings with him, following up on crimes that appear to be linked to him, while we’re here waiting for the next package.”

  His frustration level was rising with every passing minute. Brianna was his primary concern, of course, but part of him wanted to be out in the field, searching for anything that would help them put this threat to rest for good. He paced back and forth, antsy from his own inactivity, and fighting guilt over wanting to leave Brianna to help Shadow and Rebel.

  Noah’s new—and secure—cell phone rang and Shadow’s name flashed across the screen. “Talk to me, man. What have you found?”

  “Rebel and I have been comparing notes on our new friend. Seems Ali Babek Turan has had several aliases over the last few years. He worked at a major software company as an intern while he was in college. His instructors, classmates, and former employers all say he was a computer genius. He walked into the program already knowing almost as much as his instructors.

  “He’s been involved mostly in cybercrimes, but there are some suspicious deaths, now that we’re giving them a second look. Poisoning seems to be his preferred method, although there have been a couple of deaths that were much more…intimate.”

  “What do you mean ‘intimate’?” Reaper asked.

  “You know how they say that usually when someone kills another by shooting them, the crime is colder and less personal? Emotionally detached, all that shit,” Shadow began.

  “Yeah. Got it. Go on,” Reaper replied.

  “A couple of deaths were in very close quarters with a knife. Could have been a large hunting or fighting knife, but the wounds aren’t completely consistent. He’s not like most killers that pick one method over another,” Shadow explained.

  “Are you on your way back?”

  “Yeah. We’ll be there in a few hours.”

  “Okay. You can tell me about his cybercrimes when you get here,” Reaper replied.

  “Roger that, Reaper. See ya soon,” Shadow said before they hung up.

  Brianna approached him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. “I know you’re going crazy being stuck in here with us.”

  He turned and wrapped his arms around her. “I’d never go crazy from being with you. What’s driving me crazy is not being the one out there stopping this guy.”

  “You will,” Brianna assured him. “Was that Shadow or Rebel?”

  “Shadow. They’re headed back here now, but it’ll be a few hours before they arrive. Shadow said they found a few things, but I said to fill me in when they get back so I don’t have to repeat everything for those guys.” Noah jerked his head in the direction of the CIA agents.

  “Why don’t we take Liz and get out of here? We need to go see your dad again,” Brianna suggested. “He didn’t look well last week when we were there. He’s doing his best to hide it, but I can tell.”

  “Yeah, so can I,” Noah replied grimly. “Ask Liz if she wants to go, and let’s get out of here.”

  Brianna walked into the kitchen where Liz was trying to entice Rob into playing a game of cards with her.

  “What’s the matter, sonny? Scared Granny will beat you like you stole something?” Liz taunted him.

  Rob’s eyes darted around the room as he searched frantically for someone or something to save him from Liz. When he locked eyes with Brianna, he all but begged her to step in on his behalf. When Brianna’s face lit up with her smile, he would’ve sworn she was an angel sent from Heaven above.

  “Liz, Noah and I are going to see Steve again. Do you want to join us this time? You still haven’t met his parents.” Brianna continued her casual stroll into the kitchen and pretended to be oblivious to the deck of cards that Liz was flicking in Rob’s face.

  “I think I will,” Liz replied. “I missed out last time because I thought I had Joe talked into a game of Twister, but then he got an urgent call. Damn thing lasted the whole time you were gone.”

  “That’s too bad.” Brianna feigned empathy. “Maybe you can help cheer Steve up.”

  “What’s wrong with him? Is he on those little blue pills, too? I hear that needing those really messes with a man’s mind.” Liz shook her head. “Is that true, Rob?”

  “Uh, I, uh… I need to go help Joe,” Rob stuttered and quickly took the opportunity to leave the room.

  Brianna doubled over in laughter and tears streamed down her face. “Liz, I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed you. I love having you here with us.”

  “Sweet girl, I love being here with you and Noah. I think I’ll stay in Miami once this is over. Don’t worry. I’ll get my own place. But I love being here with you and my boys,” she replied.

  Brian
na didn’t ask for clarification since she already knew that when Liz said “boys,” she meant the men of Steele Security. Only Liz could get away with calling them “my boys” and not be corrected.

  “So, what’s going on with your father-in-law?” Liz asked.

  “He has cancer,” Brianna replied solemnly. “He doesn’t seem to be responding to treatment as well as we hoped.”

  “You never told me that!” Liz exclaimed. “Let’s go see him. Bring your iPad with you, Brianna. We need to FaceTime with my son while we’re there.”

  With that, Liz rushed off to freshen up before she met Noah’s parents for the first time, leaving Brianna feeling bewildered once again. From the moment they met, Liz had viewed Brianna as her own daughter. She sensed that Brianna was lonely, but she was also willingly closed off from forming close relationships. Liz continued to work on her every chance she had, and it finally paid off. Once she won Brianna over, she realized that Brianna had become the steady force in her life since her own children were seldom around.

  She only hoped she had a chance to help Brianna and Noah, return the favor they’d given her when they’d so eagerly brought her into their home. Liz quickly changed clothes and rushed back downstairs to leave with Noah and Brianna. When they got in the car, Noah turned to speak to Liz.

  “Don’t forget to stay lying down in the backseat until we pull into my parents’ garage. We don’t want to risk you being seen by Ali until the CIA is ready to tell him.”

  “Oh yeah,” Liz replied as she made herself comfortable on the spacious bench seat. “Do you know what they’re waiting for?”

  Over the past few weeks, Roman, Blake, Alex, and Brad had installed every imaginable security upgrade, including infrared cameras to pick up heat signatures even behind hiding places, glass-break detectors for the windows, and fog screens that billowed out smoke to disorient intruders or emit a gas that completely disabled intruders for up to twenty-four hours. Bullet-resistant doors with biometric sensors were installed throughout the house and handheld thermal imagers were brought in to conduct frequent sweeps for hidden surveillance devices.

  After the upgrades had been completed, the only wild card Noah had left to contend with was Liz. Ali didn’t know she’d survived, though Noah wasn’t convinced that she even mattered to Ali at this point. If her death had been imperative, Ali would’ve employed another method and he wouldn’t have left her before he was certain his plans had been carried out successfully.

  “My guess is they want to use his failed attempt to taunt him, make him mad so he does something stupid. That’s how a lot of men get caught. Their ego is their undoing,” Noah replied.

  “How about that! This tough old broad will be the criminal mastermind’s undoing,” Liz cheerfully boasted.

  “Wouldn’t that be something?” Brianna agreed. “I hope it’s soon because his gifts are already on my nerves.”

  Before long, Noah pulled into his parents’ garage and waited until the door closed securely behind him before exiting the vehicle. After the team finished the security upgrades to his house, Noah had sent them to his parents’ house to update theirs as well. Constant surveillance helped ease his mind for the safety of his family, but until Ali was caught or killed, he’d always be on guard.

  “Did you bring your iPad?” Liz asked Brianna.

  “Got it right here.” Brianna patted her oversized bag.

  “Good girl. Let’s see what we can do for Steve and Sara,” Liz replied cryptically.

  “Mom? Dad? Anyone home?” Noah called as he walked in.

  “In the den,” Sara called. “Come on in.”

  When he walked into the den, Noah had to fight to quickly rein in his shock and concern. Steve had lost even more weight since they’d last visited and his skin color had become more ashen. Noah swallowed hard, pushing down the lump of despair that had formed in his throat, and prepared to introduce Liz.

  “Mom, Dad, this is Liz Stanton. We told you about her last week. She was Brianna’s neighbor in Boulder, and she’s staying with us for a while. Liz, this is my mom, Sara, and my dad, Steve,” Noah said.

  “Welcome, Liz. We’re glad to finally meet you in person,” Sara said when she stood to greet her.

  “Nice to meet you, Liz,” Steve said weakly. “Forgive me for not getting up. I’m a little under the weather today.”

  “It’s so good to meet you both. You have a wonderful son and daughter-in-law,” Liz replied. “If you don’t mind my forwardness, I know a little about your medical condition, Steve. That’s actually why I’m here today. I hope to be able to help you with it.”

  “What do you mean, Liz?” Brianna asked.

  “Let’s see that iPad of yours,” Liz replied.

  Brianna retrieved it from her bag and handed it to Liz. After a few clicks, the familiar ring of the FaceTime app filled the air.

  “Hello?” a male voice answered. “Mom? Is that you?”

  “You sound shocked, Daryl,” Liz laughed.

  “I am. I had no idea you knew how to use FaceTime.”

  “Of course I do. But that’s not why I’m calling. Are you on your iPad, son?”

  “Yes, I’m in the office today and I use it for almost everything.”

  “Good. I have a patient for you to consult with. Right now,” Liz demanded.

  Daryl recognized her tone of voice and knew this wasn’t a request. This was an expectation. Since she rarely asked anything of him, he also knew that it was very important to her and he couldn’t deny her—even if he was running behind on his patient appointments.

  “Sure, Mom. Let’s see what you’ve got.” Daryl smiled.

  “Good boy. This is Steve Steele. He has cancer. We need you to fix him,” Liz replied matter-of-factly.

  “No pressure there, Mom,” Daryl replied sarcastically.

  Steve laughed good-naturedly as Liz passed the iPad to him. “This is my son, Dr. Daryl Stanton. He thinks I pressure him.”

  “No pressure at all. I assume you’re a doctor?”

  “Yes, I’m an oncologist. Can you turn on as many lights as possible so I can get a good look at you? And tell me about your medical history.” Daryl settled in behind his desk to begin making his notes and conduct his virtual assessment.

  Over the next forty-five minutes, Steve and Sara answered every question, and gave detailed information about his symptoms, surgeries, and treatments. Daryl covered every aspect of Steve’s medical history prior to the cancer. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to contact your oncologist and talk to him. I’m not sure what my mom has told you, if anything, but I’m part of a clinical trial for a new chemotherapy drug that you may be a candidate to join. There are a few things I need to verify first, so I need to caution you against looking at this as a sure thing. We are seeing positive results from it, though. If you qualify for it, we can start it there in Miami, coordinating with your oncologist, but you’ll eventually need to come to Texas for the second phase of treatment.”

  “I don’t mind at all, Doc,” Steve replied, his voice full of hope again despite his attempts not to get ahead of himself. “I’ll give you all of his contact information, and you can start on it as soon as possible.”

  “And there’s nothing preventing you from moving to Texas for the second phase of treatment? It will last for several months,” Daryl clarified.

  “Not if it means I have a chance to beat this. I’ll move to Texas for the next several years for that remote possibility,” Steve replied. “Noah, Brianna, and our grandbaby will just have to put that corporate jet to use more frequently.”

  “I’ll have my office manager send you a few forms to sign, and we’ll start gathering your medical records. We’ll have to submit them to the clinical trial board to get approval to add you, but I’ll do what I can to help you,” Daryl promised. “But there are no guarantees of anything. I’m emphasizing that because it’s human nature to grasp at anything that even hints at making us well again.”

  “We underst
and what you’re saying, Dr. Stanton. We appreciate your candor, but you don’t have to worry. If Steve doesn’t get approved, we won’t hold it against you,” Sara replied.

  Steve gave Daryl his doctors’ names, phone numbers, and addresses, and they ended the call with Daryl’s assurance he’d be in touch as soon as possible. Steve sat staring at the black iPad screen for several seconds afterward, overcome with emotion that someone who’d just met him would go to such great lengths to help him.

  “Thank you so much, Liz,” Steve started. “I can’t tell you how much hope this gives me.”

  “Dad, remember he said—” Noah began.

  “Not that kind of hope, son,” Steve replied with a warm smile. “Hope in people again. Hope that my family will be well cared for regardless of where I am.”

  Looking at Liz, Steve continued. “You didn’t know me at all. Never even met me before. But you walked in here with a plan specifically designed to help me, out of the goodness of your heart. Thank you for that.”

  “These kids love you,” Liz replied and gestured toward Noah and Brianna. “If they love you, you must be good people. They mean the world to me, and they want you to get better. If getting you in touch with my son, the doctor, can help with that, then it’s the very least I can do.”

  Misty eyes looked everywhere around the room, except where they could possibly find other misty eyes. Noah could no longer take the emotional stress and seriousness of the room.

  “That’s it. Group hug! We’re having a pansy-ass group hug right now. Everyone. Just get this shit out of our systems and then we can move past all this heavy stuff,” he bellowed. “And then we’ll never speak of it again.”

  Laughter filled the room, sniffles ceased, and misty eyes returned to normal.

  9

  CHAPTER NINE

  November

  “That little bastard,” Bull spit out, venom lacing his words. He shook his head in disgust as he huffed loudly. “I really want to kick his ass.”