“I don’t remember seeing you at one of these award ceremonies before. I’m Mindy Cochran.”
“Yeah, I recognize you. Leo Fallen. I was at Cancun and Progresso the year before that. I don’t know why Clexis can’t pick decent cities to have these recognition events in.” Another fire truck screamed past the back wall of the hotel. “God, the sirens never stop around here, do they?”
The woman took a long drag off her cigarette. “Yeah, Juarez is a hole but it’s an excellent base for manufacturing and the sales of Clexis’ data processors has doubled in the last year.”
Joseph shook his head. “Tripled and the projections are for another twelve plants in two years so we could see a six hundred percent increase if we can get in on the ground floor.”
The woman relaxed, the facts he had gleaned off the Internet seemed to calm any suspicion she may have harbored. She ground the butt out near the ones he’d littered on the grass. She leaned forward and looked at him over her shoulder. “Cancun was alright. I missed Progresso. Had the flu. Hey, how about we get the hell out of here? I found this nice quiet jazz bar not too far away.”
Bingo. An express ticket out. Standing he offered her his arm. “How did you know I wanted to escape? Let’s go.”
*
The whisper of cloth from his movement was indistinguishable from the sound of the fire crackling in the massive fireplace. Each inch moved him nearer to his last kill. As always, his mind quieted. He ghosted forward silently and positioned himself for it, his focus on nothing but a man—the target. He became the shadow on the wall and the darkness between the flames. For the last time, Joseph’s mind slid into Fury’s and became death. His grip on the hilt of his steel had been diminished by the viscosity of the blood that had erupted from the severed arteries of Morales’ guard. His heart tattooed a steady rhythm against his chest, now alive with purpose—kill the monster that had threatened Ember. His senses soared, heightened by the adrenalin thrumming through his veins. Morales sat in a large leather chair in front of the fireplace. The asshole swirled golden liquor in a crystal snifter. Joseph’s hand covered the man’s mouth. His arm extended with a quick snap and the blade lodged on the throat of the seated man. A quick pull and slice would silence the man forever.
Fury whispered into his ear and he sensed the man’s terror. He knew this fear intimately. The mechanics of the kill were the same tonight as they were when he killed his father’s murderer over twenty years ago. Each kill since had brought the same disembodied precision and the same sense of purpose. The weight of the knife—his knife lay perfect in his palm. The razor sharp blade sliced through the drug lord’s skin. Muscle, tendons, and arteries severed. Although the men he had killed in this way did not articulate a sound, their body’s give to the blade made its own concert. The snap and sluice of the tendon and muscle told him exactly what his blade accomplished. His signature kill with the knife couldn’t be left. No, this kill was brutal and the man was obliterated. His body dismembered. No link to Fury would be found. Tonight the kill was personal. Tonight it ended as it started twenty years ago. Making things right for those he loved. Fury flipped the cover from the remote and toggled the switch. Now it was over.
An explosion ripped through the exclusive neighborhood. Windows shattered in houses three blocks away. Car and house alarms sounded, activated by the concussion of the massive detonation. The sky filled with black smoke and orange flames.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The VIP lounge at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport bustled with a never-ending stream of weary travelers. The third floor, mezzanine-level lounge acted as a blue and grey shield cocooning Ember from the hustle and bustle of the busy international terminal. For the first time in months, she sat in front of a television. The mindless drone of looped news somehow soothed her tattered nerves. Pulling her new smart phone out of her purse, Ember punched in the telephone number for the ranch. It was early yet on the East Coast, so maybe Keelee wouldn’t have left the ranch house yet.
“Marshall Ranch.” Keelee’s normally sweet voice seemed flat and stressed.
“Hey girl. What’s wrong?” Ember almost wished she was back at the ranch.
“Em? Hey…nothing…everything. You know, crazy shit happens here. We have a blizzard forecasted and Clint is being…Clint. Where are you?”
“Atlanta airport. Waiting for a plane.”
Keelee let out a long sigh. “Thank God. You’re going.”
“Yeah. Have you…have they heard anything? I mean is there any more information?” Ember’s eyes flooded again. Damn tears. She was so tired of crying, but her heart and her mind kept shredding her pitiful attempts to be strong.
“Kinda. But I don’t really think it’s anything you want to know about.”
“If it concerns Joey, I want to know. Please Keelee…I need to know. I have to have some kind of closure.”
“Okay. Just wait for a minute. I’m going to get out of the kitchen so I won’t get interrupted.”
Ember heard Keelee opening and closing doors and moving through the huge ranch house. Finally, she came back on the line.
“Okay. This is just from what I’ve overheard and what I’ve been told, alright? I mean it’s not anything official.”
“Kee, please…”
“Okay. Jacob flew to Mexico and identified Joseph, but the news coverage that has been going non-stop used a different name. His alias maybe? Anyway, the guys here? They’re all acting weird. I guess it’s losing one of your own or something. They just stopped talking. Stopped. Dixon and Drake haven’t said a word since they found out Joseph didn’t make it out of Mexico. But before that I overheard something about Morales taking all the credit for killing Joseph and you.”
Ember shifted in her seat and looked at the people around her for the first time. Hearing the man’s name brought back the insane fear of being found again.
“I know Chief called and told you that Morales is dead. Chief said the man’s home exploded. The reports say the generator for the house got too hot during an extended power outage and blew up. Evidently, the propane tank that powered it wasn’t buried and blew through the room where the bastard and the majority of his security team were located. Dixon said it was an accident. I’m thinking God had enough of the demon and took vengeance.”
“Morales is really dead? I’m free?”
“Yeah sweetie, he’s gone. Joseph didn’t kill him, but three days after he was murdered by that sick son of a bitch, the universe got even.” Ember flinched as if she’d been slapped. She knew Joey was dead, but hearing it said out loud hurt. God it hurt so bad. Keelee was still talking and Ember forced herself to tune back in.
“…but Adam said Morales thought you were dead. Killed by that guy that went after you at Joey’s place. So he said as long as you use the cover Guardian gave you…you’re safe. The training annex shut down here at the ranch for the holidays. The Kings and some of the guys that are close to the brothers are getting together, for some sort of ceremony for Joseph. They haven’t asked me how to reach you or even if you’d want to go. I’m really upset about that. They knew what you meant to Joey…well at least Adam, Chief and Jacob knew.”
“I wasn’t married to him, Kee. I was a one-and-done as far as they know.” Ember closed her eyes and thought back to when Joey had first used that term. Back when she’d offered…No. Stop torturing yourself. “I understand that they need to grieve. But could you do me a favor? When they come back to the ranch, would you find out where he’s buried? Probably back home in Mississippi. I can’t call Mrs. King. I just can’t deal with her suffering, too. Someday soon, I’ll call. But, not yet. I’ll go and say goodbye myself after I get done with...” Tears ran down her cheeks unchecked. She didn’t care who saw or what she looked like.
“Em, do you want me to come with you? I’ll get the first flight out of Rapid. I can leave the Koehler’s to mind the ranch for a couple days.”
“Where’s Frank?”
&nb
sp; “He, Dixon, Drake, Chief and Doc are gone. The guys left for the ceremony I just told you about. Dad is meeting a lady friend. Said she was celebrating something and was going to be needing some help. He wasn’t inclined to say more and I wasn’t about to ask him about it. If he is interested in someone, then I’m damn sure happy to stay here and tend the ranch. But I can leave if you need me.”
Ember shook her head. “No, stay at home. You said there was a blizzard coming. You’d be worried to death the entire time you were gone. The Koehler’s aren’t going to look after the place like you will. Besides…this is something I need to do. Something I want to do. I miss you, Kee.”
“Aww sweetie, we can talk every night and you know what? I’m done with giving my life to the ranch. Told dad he needed to get a ranch manager and a couple more full time hands. I’m ready to stop living in the past. How about you get settled somewhere and then I come out and you and I can have a vacation? I’ve never been farther than Denver.”
“I know that was a hard decision and I’d like that, Kee. I’ll call you in a couple days. Okay?”
“You better. Love you, Em.”
“Love you too, Kee.” Ember hung up the phone and wiped at the tears. God, please give me the strength. I need to do this for him…for me…for us.
Ember waited in a daze of agony until her flight was called. She managed to walk through the crowded terminal and handed the attendant her ticket. The hustle and bustle of the thousands of people coming and going didn’t even register. Her body functioned. Her mind worked on some level. But her reason for living lay broken into a million pieces. While everyone else jostled about doing their everyday business, she carefully cradled what remained of her soul and tried to piece her life back together.
Once seated in first class, she turned to gaze out the window and focused beyond the tarmac. Joey was dead. She’d known it in her soul as soon as Chief held out the document pouch to her.
“It came with instructions to give it to you, today, if I didn’t get a phone call by 5:00 pm. I think it may be from Joseph.” The big man’s soft words sent a tremor through her.
Ember sat down, her legs suddenly too weak to hold her up. Her eyes traveled from the packet to Chief. “Is it over?”
“Yeah, Ember. You’re free to go. The call I received from Guardian this afternoon confirmed the mission was complete. Joseph left instructions. If I didn’t get that call, he asked that I deliver this to you when it was…done.”
“Joey?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t received any official confirmation.”
“Official?”
Chief took three steps across the room and squatted down in front of her. His hand gently placed the large envelope on her lap. “Ember, he wouldn’t have let me give this to you if he was alive. I know you plan on bolting out of here. Do me a favor? Read what is in here. Let me know what you want to do and I’ll make sure it happens.”
Ember raised her eyes from the yellow envelope on her lap to Chief’s kind brown eyes. “What’s in here?”
“I don’t know. The letter I received thanked me for watching you and asked me to keep an eye on you if you stayed at the ranch. Obviously, he couldn’t have known you’ve been packed and ready to go.” Chief stood and put a large warm hand on her shoulder. “He loved you, Ember.”
Hot tears rolled freely down her cheek. She nodded but couldn’t speak. The echo of his boots over the clinic floor as he left reminded her of the raw emptiness in her life.
Her fingers plucked at the corner of the envelope. She didn’t want to open it. A humorless huff pushed from her lips. As if not opening it would change anything. Carefully, she pulled the tab and unsealed the contents.
A long envelope fell out followed by a dark blue folder and a small packet. The envelope had her name scrawled across the front. She recognized Joey’s horrible handwriting. A small smile pulled at the edge of her mouth. With care, she opened the letter from the end not wanting to damage the handwriting. A keepsake of her lover.
She unfolded the letter, handwritten on a yellow legal pad. Tears pooled in her eyes blurring the writing. She swiped impatiently at her eyes and focused on his words.
Em,
I told you once I couldn’t give you the moon and stars, but I find I want to try. In this envelope is a key to the house I own in Aruba. It overlooks the beach. Standing on the balcony at night, the stars are so bright and so brilliant that you feel you can almost touch heaven. I can’t look at the night sky without thinking of you, of us and of our love. Would you do me a favor, little one? Go to Aruba, to the home I dreamed we could share. I’ve taken several liberties, but I hope you will allow me to show you how much our love means to me. The packet contains the financial documentation giving you the home and access to a bank account. Please take both. Remember, little girl, though I cannot be with you, I still expect you to follow my directions. You have always made me so proud of you. I love you more than I could ever hope to express. Please go to Aruba, baby girl. See the stars from the balcony of our home and know I will always love you.
Joey
The letter lay in her hand as the plane took off on a four-hour flight to Aruba. She would go and look at the moon and stars and she would say her final goodbye. There were no more tears to shed, her mind and body numb with grief.
The flight attendant’s announcement crackled overhead. Ember closed her eyes, blocking out the mundane announcements. One last thing to do before she could start to piece her life back together.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ember paid the cab driver and then turned back to look at the impressive villa he’d dropped her at. Twice she clarified the mansion was the correct address. The red Spanish tile roof topped the white stucco finish of a facade bordered by perfectly manicured greenery. A grand stairway of granite led up to a double oak and glass door boasting ornate iron scrolls throughout the wall of windows on either side of the door. Ember put the key Joey had left her into the lock and sighed, closing her eyes momentarily when the tumbler turned. She pushed the door open. Joey’s home sprawled in its reserved splendor in front of her. The character of the home was so like the man it brought instant tears to her eyes. The white marble floor flowed throughout the great room first floor. The furnishings of oversized couches covered in soft brown leather reminded her of the furniture in his Wyoming cabin. The fireplace mantel boasted a massive painting of a brilliant blue ocean hosting a gala of brightly colored boats. Splashes of the same bright colors were used as an accent in the formal dining room and in the obscenely large kitchen. The home’s open concept allowed for an unobstructed view of the pounding surf from every room.
“Excuse me, Miss?”
Ember jumped and screamed. Her hand flew up to her chest. The small woman wearing a maid’s uniform held up a hand. “I’m so sorry, Miss! Forgive me, please. We expected you later. Your flight must have come in early.”
Ember sucked in a lungful of air. Her knees shook as adrenaline from the shock pounded through her system. “You’re expecting me? I…I wasn’t expecting you!”
The little woman smiled. Creases in her face bunched around her eyes and mouth. “Oh Miss, didn’t Mr. King tell you?”
That statement knotted Ember’s gut, pulling hard against her barely existent emotional control. “Ah…no. No, he didn’t.”
“That’s okay. Mr. King gave us explicit instructions, Miss. I am Consuela, your maid, and cook. My husband, Jose, he is the gardener, handyman, and chauffeur. He is not here right now, but he will return soon.”
“Wait. You work here? For me?” Ember had planned on staying long enough to see the stars and leave. She had booked a hotel for one night and had a purchased a return ticket for tomorrow. Joey had provided a one-way ticket in the packet Chief had given her.
“Why yes, of course, Miss. Please follow me to your room. I have everything arranged just as Mr. King directed.”
Ember fell behind the little woman and then stopped. “No, wait. I’m
not staying here. I have reservations at a hotel in Orjanstad.”
The tiny woman stopped and cocked her head at Ember. The smile on her face was nothing less than angelic. “You have had a long day have you not? Why don’t you take a nice relaxing bath? Everything has already been arranged just as Mr. King directed. Orjanstad? Too many tourists, too much noise and traffic. Not what is needed for you tonight.”
Ember shook her head. “I don’t think so. I came here to look at the stars from the balcony. I’ll leave after that.”
Consuela looked at her and blinked rapidly as if what Ember said didn’t compute. “Yes, Miss, the balcony is upstairs off the Master’s bedroom. That’s where I’m taking you.”
“Oh. Alright, lead the way.”
The older woman beamed at Ember. “Yes, Miss, please this way?”
Ember followed the diminutive woman up a wrought iron stairway to the second story. The woman led her down a protracted travertine hallway to the only door on the right-hand side. The maid smiled and curtsied. “Here you are, Miss. If you have a need of me, please dial two on the phone.”
Ember’s brow creased as she watched the elfin-like woman walk away. A tendril of distrust ignited into a small flame. Something didn’t feel right. Tentatively, Ember opened the door and peeked into the bedroom. The entire beach side view of the second floor opened to the panoramic vista. A king sized bed faced the majestic seascape but was dwarfed by the vista of nature heralded through the vast expanse of open balcony. The sea breeze pushed white silk curtains to and fro gently. Gossamer canopy fabric stirred against the bulky wooden bed frame. Ember walked as if in a trance across the room and directly out onto the balcony. The expanse of royal blue ocean kissed soft puffs of white clouds and hypnotized with its beauty.
The sound of voices pulled her eyes away from the panorama. A white arch and seats in rows had been erected on the beach past the mansion’s pool on the white sand beach. Ember held onto the banister and swung out looking to the right. A few men walked towards the far end of the estate. Another massive house stood next to Joseph’s. Someone was planning a wedding. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and willed the thoughts of her loss to the back of her mind.
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