Nathan nodded in agreement, but he had a lot more thoughts swirling around in his head than Sam probably did. She only wanted to avenge Campbell and everyone else affected by Markus, but Nathan couldn’t help but wonder if Sam and his friends were truly safe where they were. If someone could just waltz right into Campbell’s home and murder him, then what was to stop the same thing from happening to them? As they pulled up to the house, they could see police lights and a single ambulance with no lights on. They also saw Zane and Jason standing in front of the house.
“Do we know who did this?” Sam asked Jason as she exited the car.
“Well, we know that there were at least two men in the house because Campbell was able to kill them both. We don’t know who either of them were. They had no identification on them, and at this time, we don’t know if there was a third intruder involved,” Jason answered.
“It doesn’t matter who they were. We know that this attack came from Markus. There will be more attacks like this one,” Zane said while shaking his head.
“What are you doing with your mask off?” Sam asked Zane after noticing that he wasn’t wearing it.
“It’s nighttime, and besides that, there are just some things that a person has to see with their own two eyes, or at least see as well as I can.”
“Can we look at the scene?” Sam asked.
“Yes, just come this way,” Jason said.
As they walked into the house, it became obvious that nothing had been moved yet.
“So what do you two make of all this,” Zane asked.
Sam looked around for a moment. She had never been close to Campbell, but she respected him. Seeing his lifeless body there affected her in a way that she hadn’t expected. She didn’t see a crime scene to diagnose. All she saw was an old comrade who had passed on. With no explanation, she simply walked out of the room. Nathan was concerned about Sam, but he stayed for a moment.
“Well, as far as I can tell, that man near the stairwell was probably killed first, and then as Campbell turned, this man here likely shot him. The blast knocked him to the floor, and then while lying on the floor, Campbell fired several shots at the man who had just wounded him,” Nathan said.
“What makes you think that?” Jason asked.
“He was shot in the stomach, and judging by where the first man was killed and where Campbell fell, I don’t think that it would have been possible for him to be shot in such an area at that angle. It’s pretty obvious that Campbell shot this man from the floor. The second intruder was shot twice in the leg, once in the groin area, and then twice in the stomach. Who shoots that low unless they’re shooting from the floor and they’re in an awful big hurry to unload their magazine?” Nathan asked.
“Well, you might actually be right,” Jason said.
Nathan nodded and started to go after Sam before Zane stopped him.
“If you don’t mind me asking, where did you learn to diagnose a crime scene like that?”
Nathan paused for a long moment.
“My theory is probably wrong. I just threw something out there. To answer your question, though, I used to watch a lot of crime dramas on television,” Nathan said.
“Well, that theory just lost all credibility,” Jason said once Nathan had left the room.
“Either that, or we really need to start watching crime dramas,” Zane said.
The two men walked away from the scene. Zane was trying to stay composed and show everyone that things were going to be fine by keeping things light, but inside, he was in a panic. These people were his to lead now. He had never wanted to lead them, but nonetheless, they were his responsibility now. Once they were outside, Zane called Nathan over to him.
“I need you to go to Jess, Lee, Trish, and Michael’s home for me. Jason and I will go get Burt and Dan. We need to hold a meeting about where to go from here. We’ll meet all of you at least by six,” Zane said.
“All right, we’ll be there,” Nathan said.
Nathan and Sam got into the car. Given the fact that Sam was still a bit shaken, Nathan drove. After Nathan explained where they would be going and what was going on, Sam asked him a question.
“What is wrong with me?”
“What do you mean? Nothing is wrong with you.”
“I couldn’t even look at that crime scene back there. I’ve lost my ability to look at things objectively.”
“Okay. First of all, it’s completely understandable that you couldn’t look at this situation objectively because Campbell isn’t an object. He was a superior and mentor to you. Second of all, if that scene didn’t shake you up at least a little bit, I would be worried about you. You’re not a robot. You’re a human being. Of course that affected you.”
“It didn’t seem to bother you very much.”
“It actually did bother me. I just said something because I knew that one of us had to.”
“Well, I’m the one who’s supposed to be teaching you. I don’t think that it says anything good about me if you have to pick up my slack,” Sam said.
“Oh, stop it. We’re partners, and you pick up my slack all the time. If once in a blue moon I have to answer a question or two because you need a little time to process the situation, it’s not a big deal. It’s normal,” Nathan said while sliding his hand over to hers.
Sam didn’t like that she had to lean on Nathan in a time that she normally would have been composed, but she accepted his explanation and grabbed her phone with her other hand. She called the person who she believed would be the most composed in this situation at their friend’s house.
Jess answered the phone.
“Hello,” Jess said sleepily.
“Something has happened. We’re coming over, if you could please let us in,” Sam said.
“Sure, but what’s going on?”
“We’ll explain everything when we get there. Please wake everyone up if you could.”
“All right,” Jess said and got off the phone.
Michael stirred after he heard the phone ring, and he was curious to know what was going on, but Jess only asked him to get Lee. Jess, meanwhile, went to Trish’s room and woke her up.
“Wake up. We’re having an early meeting,” Jess said.
“What’s this all about? Do you have any idea what time it is?” Trish asked, still half asleep.
Jess told Trish that Sam had called, and the two women walked to the kitchen table where Michael and Lee were sitting. Michael got up and walked to the refrigerator.
“Does anyone want eggs?” Michael asked.
“From you, no thanks,” Lee said.
“Just for that, you aren’t getting any. I’ll just have to fix Jess and Trish some.”
Trish looked confused. She didn’t know about the raw chicken incident.
“Just go to a different place in your mind when he serves the eggs,” Jess whispered to Trish.
After a few minutes, Michael was done and he served the two girls their eggs. Trish cautiously scooped a piece of egg up from the plate and slowly brought it up to her face. It smelled like a normal egg and it looked beautiful, but what kind of horror must it be holding for Jess to be so worried. Jess, meanwhile, waited for Trish to taste the eggs. She didn’t want to be the first one to suffer. The doorbell suddenly rang. Thank God, Trish thought as she jumped out of her seat and walked to the door. Once she let Nathan and Sam in, they explained the whole situation to everyone.
“So what’s next?” Lee asked.
“We don’t know. That’s what we’re going to talk with Zane about,” Sam said.
After a little more talking, Michael noticed something.
“Hey, neither one you have even touched the eggs,” Michael said.
“Oh, I’m sorry, but they’re probably cold by now. Maybe tomorrow morning we can try some,” Jess said in relief.
“I don’t mind cold eggs,” Nathan said.
“I’m a little hungry, too,” Sam said.
The two plates were passed to them. It wa
s all Jess could do to contain herself. She wanted to knock the plates away from her friends, but she controlled herself. Nathan took the first bite, and then he took another one. Sam tasted hers.
“This is really good,” Sam said.
“Wait a minute. They don’t taste bad!” Jess exclaimed.
“No, why would they taste bad?” Sam asked.
“Oh, no reason,” Jess said.
“All right, after the other night I can understand why you would doubt me. I’m going to fix some more. Try some this time, please,” Michael said.
The friends ate together, and for a short while everything was normal again, but it wasn’t meant to last. The doorbell rang, and they were all snapped back to the harsh reality that everything was about to change.
Once Zane, Jason, Dan, and Burt were inside, the meeting began.
“I’m calling this meeting because I’m now officially in charge of leading all of you. I don’t know if I can do as good a job as John did, but I hope that you will all give me a chance,” Zane said.
“Of course, we’re going to give you a chance. You’ll be excellent at this job. Your entire life has prepared you for it,” Jason said in support.
Zane nodded to him in order to acknowledge his loyal friend.
“What are we going to do next?” Trish asked plainly.
“That’s the main thing that I wanted to talk to you all about. John was able to contact the French government, and I’m going to pick up where he left off. I’m hoping to have a team in France by tomorrow and move on the facility shortly after we arrive.”
“How are we going to take the facility?” Michael asked.
“We aren’t going to rush in like idiots, if that’s what you’re worried about. We’ll work with the French government to formulate a plan. If you don’t like the plan that they come up with, then by all means, I want you and anyone else who is under my command to pack your bags and come back to the United States. We will win this fight, but we will not lose lives carelessly while I’m around.”
“I have a concern,” Nathan said.
“What is it?”
“If someone could come to Campbell’s house in the middle of the night and kill him, then how safe are any of us? Couldn’t someone be sent to kill any one of us very easily? Is there anything that we can do to prevent further incidents like this one in the future?”
“You pose an interesting question, Nathan. I’ve been thinking that maybe after we’re done in France, we should all relocate to an unofficial place where we won’t be found so easily.”
“I think that would be good,” Nathan said.
“So I only have one question for you all. Who wants in on the op in Paris? Obviously not all of you will be suited for this mission, but I’m not going to turn down help, so whoever wants to be a part of this will be able to take some part in it,” Zane said.
Nathan, Sam, Michael, and Dan all volunteered quickly.
“I’m in,” Trish announced.
“Well, I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but if Trish is in, then so am I,” Lee said.
“I’ll come along and do what I can,” Jess said.
Even Jason and Burt agreed to go.
“I’m lucky to have a crew who is so anxious to put themselves in harm’s way for each other. Not all of you will actually fight, but I’ll find something for everyone to do. If there’s nothing else, then I have some French people to irritate until we get the okay from them,” Zane said while smiling.
He, Dan, Jason, and Burt all left.
“All right, I’m all pumped up and ready for tomorrow!” Michael said in excitement.
“Yeah well, I’m still pretty sleepy,” Lee said while walking to his room.
Soon Trish followed suit and walked to her own room.
“I could use a few more hours of sleep myself,” Jess said.
“Well, no one here is any fun at all,” Michael said in disappointment.
Nathan patted him on the shoulder.
“I wouldn’t mind a good nap myself,” Nathan said.
Sam just sat quietly. She was thinking deeply about everything that had happened. She was sad, but most of all, she was angry. She had seen so many people lose their lives, and now John Campbell had lost his. Someone had to pay for that, and she was determined to be the one who made that person pay. A rage burned in her eyes, and as Nathan looked over at her, he could tell that something was very wrong.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Nathan asked.
“Nothing. I just have a lot on my mind,” Sam said.
“Well, if everyone else is going to be asleep around here, then I thought maybe we three could go somewhere that I’ve been wanting to go,” Michael said.
“I don’t know if Sam really wants to go somewhere right now,” Nathan said while studying her face.
“Oh, okay. It’s just that there’s this shooting range just outside of town, and I figured that the two of you might want to see what you had in me considering the fact that I’m going to be working beside you,” Michael said.
“Well, like I . . .” Nathan said before Sam cut him off.
“I wouldn’t mind firing off a few rounds,” Sam said.
“Well, it’s two against one, so I guess we’re going then,” Nathan said.
As the three of them retrieved their firearms and walked out the door, Nathan worried a little about Sam. Right now Sam just thought that she needed an outlet for all of the stress and anger that had been building up inside of her. She welcomed a little target practice.
Chapter 20
Once they arrived at the range and were set up, they began. Sam went first. She fired quickly at an almost rapid pace. Surprisingly, for the speed she was firing at, she was fairly accurate.
“You know you would probably hit it dead in the middle every time if you slowed down,” Michael said.
“You don’t have time to slow down when things are happening in real life,” Sam said.
Sam handed the rifle to Michael, and he slowly set up. He took his time, and when he finally fired, it hit dead in the center. Every shot landed exactly where Michael meant it to.
“See that’s what happens when you take your time,” Michael said with a smirk.
Sam was in no mood for advice or a cocky competitor, so she took the weapon from Michael and took her time with each shot. She was able to match Michael’s shooting.
“Anyone can shoot well when they have all the time in the world,” Sam said while returning a smirk of her own.
Michael didn’t know what to say. He had never been outshot by anyone, and honestly, his pride was a little hurt.
“Let’s see how well you do with a little rapid fire,” Sam said while handing him the gun.
Once she got up and she was standing by Nathan, he tapped her on the shoulder.
“Just let him have this one. This is really the only skill he has,” Nathan whispered.
Sam was in no mood to let anyone have anything, though. With everything that had just happened, she welcomed the opportunity to put someone who was just a little too cocky in their place. Once Michael began to fire, one thing was obvious. He couldn’t shoot accurately without taking his time. The shots were all over the place compared to his first attempt. He stood up and looked ashamed.
“Not so proud now, are you?” Sam asked.
Nathan pulled her to the side.
“Hey, what is wrong with you? The guy just got out of therapy, and this is the only thing that he has. It gives him confidence, or at least it did until a few seconds ago when you decided to take that away from him. You’re awesome at everything you do, and you have someone who cares about you. What does he have but one singular skill and a very shaky relationship that he has no idea where is going,” Nathan said.
“I’m just blowing off some steam. With everything that’s happened, you can understand that. He’s a big boy. He can handle it.”
“If you’re upset about things then I can understand that, but just don’t tak
e it out on him. We can talk about this when we get home, but for now, just be gentle with him. If you have to take this out on someone, take it out on me.”
Sam hadn’t realized how she was acting, but if Nathan, who basically never fussed about anything, was upset then she knew that she may have crossed a line.
“Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings or anything. I’m just really stressed about everything that’s been happening,” Sam said to Michael.
“It’s okay. I was over confident. I’ve never met anyone who could shoot like me,” Michael said.
“How about I help you out a little?”
Sam showed him how to shoot more accurately while having to unload a magazine. As the time passed, Nathan grew more and more bored until a voice interrupted his thoughts.
“You’re up,” Sam said and smiled at him.
“I think I’m just fine watching,” Nathan answered.
“No, I really want to see this,” Michael said.
“I think that I do, too,” Sam said.
“You two don’t think that I can do this, do you?”
“Not in the least bit,” Michael said.
Nathan took the weapon from Michael and got into position. It’s just like a video game. You just point and pull the trigger, Nathan kept telling himself. He lined up his shot, took a breath, and slowly pulled the trigger.
“Oh my God! You almost hit it dead in the center!” Michael said in disbelief.
“Beginner’s luck!” Sam shouted.
“Well, I think that I’m retiring from long range shooting now. I’ve officially mastered it, and it’s important to go out on top,” Nathan said.
Sam was fairly impressed. Is there anything that this guy doesn’t pick up quickly, Sam wondered. The three of them packed up and started back to the car. Once they were inside, Sam just asked.
“So is there anything that you can’t pick up and do?”
“Oh, there are plenty of things that he can’t do,” Michael said.
“Like what?” Sam asked him.
“Well, he can’t hit a baseball to save his life, and the guy had always gotten stumped just trying to talk to women until he met you. Oh, and never ask him to sing.”
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