by Tom Barber
Sitting on the bench, he remembered the moment he saw a team of Marshals exit that building across the street, a child with them, a group of four gunmen stepping out of a car intending to mow them down.
He remembered rising to intervene, the following events changing his life.
He remembered the first time he’d seen her.
Marquez was right; he still had those memories. No-one could ever take them from him. And he’d have to make some new ones, Isabel counting on him to do just that. The look on the girl’s face when he’d come back from the docks this morning had been one he’d never forget, the same as April’s when he’d cut her hands free after he’d taken out Henderson and Tully. Sheer relief. That was why he did what he did. For every bad guy, there were a thousand good ones out there. There was a point to all this.
And he was still here. He’d dust himself off and do it all again. He’d never quit until his last breath. He’d never stop fighting.
And he’d never forget the time he’d spent with Alice.
Glancing at his watch, he rose and started walking downtown towards the train.
And found Vargas standing ten feet away, looking straight at him.
She’d come up the path without him noticing. Dressed in jeans and a black sweater, the white bandage around her neck gone, she looked at him for a moment then smiled.
‘No one knew where you’d gone; I figured you might be up here.’
Completely speechless and rooted to the spot, Archer just stared at her.
There was a silence, filled by the noise of the neighbourhood and the wind in the trees beside them.
‘They were going to put me in that chemical shit but they ran out of time,’ Vargas explained. ‘They decided to take me as insurance in case they were stopped and were going to kill me when they were out of the city. They were keeping all the other girls for their next stop; they wanted you guys to not look for them and believe all ten women were dead. Shepherd said it worked.’
Unable to speak, Archer’s brain was still trying to comprehend that it was Alice, alive, standing in front of him and wasn’t really registering what she was saying.
Then as he stood there staring at her and she smiled at him again, the final pieces fell into place. Karen’s greed; the high value of that particular group of escorts. Running out of time to fill the bath and soak Vargas at the hospital.
‘Are they OK?’ he asked quietly. ‘The women?’
‘They’re all fine. And Polaris is going to make sure it stays that way. They’re off the street, for good.’
Pause.
‘Does Isabel know?’ Archer said.
‘She knows. They all do. You’re the last one.’
She smiled, then stepped to one side, giving him room to pass.
‘Were you going somewhere?’ she asked.
He shook his head, still unable to believe she was real.
‘Not right now.’
They looked at each other for a few more moments.
Then stepping forward, Vargas threw her arms around his neck. Archer pulled her close, ignoring the pain as her body pressed against his. However, she heard him catch his breath; pulling back, she opened his jacket and saw the bandage through his white-shirt, then noticed the other on the side of his neck.
‘Jesus, Archer,’ she said. ‘What the hell happened?’
‘I got hurt.’
‘No shit. How?’
‘I took a shower.’
‘Are you serious? Only you could manage to injure yourself while washing.’ She continued to examine the shirt. ‘Let’s get you home and cleaned up.’
Archer suddenly thought back last night to the gunfight and grenade explosion at their apartment, both of which had destroyed most of their home. He then realised Vargas would have no idea about everything that had happened to him since she’d been shot; his suspension, getting locked up in Rikers and all that had happened yesterday.
As Vargas watched him, he motioned to the bench beside them.
‘You’d better sit down for this.’
THE END
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About the author:
Born in Sydney, Australia and raised in England and Brunei, Tom Barber has always had a passion for writing and story-telling. It took him to Nottingham University, England, where he graduated in 2009 with a 2:1 BA Hons in English Studies. Post-graduation, Tom followed this by moving to New York City and completing the 2 Year Meisner Acting training programme at The William Esper Studio, furthering his love of acting and screen-writing.
Upon his return to the UK in late 2011, Tom set to work on his debut novel, Nine Lives, which has since become a five-star rated Amazon UK Kindle hit. The following books in the series, The Getaway, Blackout, Silent Night, One Way and Return Fire have been equally successful, garnering five-star reviews in the US and the UK.
Green Light is the seventh novel in the Sam Archer series.
For updates on all new releases
Follow @TomBarberBooks.