Outlawed Love

by Krumbine, Jason

  Bragan tossed his head back and barked out a hearty laugh. It was a sharp sound that seemed to cut through the palpable tension.

  “Right you are, Kyle, right you are,” when he stopped laughing he nodded at Kate. “Your companion seems a bit pale.”

  “Must have something to do with seeing her dead partner standing behind you,” Archer said, casting a narrow look at Ray.

  Ray shrugged, lighting up a cigarette. “Sorry. I couldn’t wait for retirement,” he said. “Besides, all they were going to give me was a watch and a pension that would barely cover my house payments,” he exhaled smoke and it billowed around him briefly before being carried away by the wind. “I won’t lie, kid, there’s a certain kind of lifestyle I want to become accustomed to.”

  Kate started to jump forward, but Archer held her back with a firm hand. “So you sold us out to this animal?” she spat.

  Ray shrugged again. “That’s the way of the world. If it helps any, it was never supposed to go this far. You turned out to be a lot more resourceful than I gave you credit for.”

  “Lucky me,” Kate said, glaring daggers at him.

  “Mr. Santos,” Bragan said, ignoring Kate’s outburst, “I believe I owe you something,” he snapped his fingers and one of his men stepped forward. He tossed a small manila envelope to Santos. “As promised, a hundred thousand dollars,” he caught the puzzled look on Kate’s face. “Oh, please, Ms. Sharpe, don’t be so naïve. I was able to crack the FBI’s undercover operations. Your brother may be an excellent spy, but you are not. Did you really think a novice such as yourself could travel anywhere without me knowing? Please, I almost feel insulted. Almost.”

  Santos thumbed through the thick wad of cash. He gave Kate a lecherous smile. “Maybe you should have not been so mean to me after all, eh?”

  “Maybe I should have shot you the moment I saw you,” Kate snapped, taking a step towards him.

  Santos jumped back against his taxi.

  Bragan waved his hand dismissively. “Enough of this. Kyle, let’s you and I talk.”

  _____

  Kate watched as Bragan and Archer walked away. A breeze blew in from the water, ruffling her hair.

  “Don’t get any ideas,” Ray said, watching her.

  “Ideas?” Kate turned to Ray. “What? Like killing you?”

  Ray took a long drag from his cigarette and exhaled smiling. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about. If you play your cards right, you might just get out of here alive.”

  “Is that your personal guarantee?” Kate asked him bitterly. “You’ll forgive me if I doubt that. You don’t exactly have the best track with the truth. You’ve already faked your death once before. Does your family even know you’re alive?”

  “No and it’s gonna stay that way,” Ray said sharply. “Bullings, however, is aware of my non-deceased status.”

  Kate was shocked. Ray laughed at her expression.

  “Oh, don’t worry, he’s not in Bragan’s pocket,” Ray said. “Took some fancy footwork to keep him from letting everyone know I was alive, especially you. Although, you did help matters considerably by going off the grid,” he paused. “You know, I had him half convinced that you were the leak. I should win an Oscar for that.”

  “How could you do this?” Kate asked. “How could you betray everyone like this?”

  Ray frowned. “Don’t go all holier-than-thou. Everyone’s got a price, even you,” he nodded at Archer. “Answer me this: why isn’t he in cuffs?”

  Kate didn’t reply.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Ray said. “Everyone has a price and mine just happened to have a one with a lot of zeros behind it. Yours had a six-pack.”

  “Don’t you even-” Kate began.

  Ray cut her off. “We used to be partners. It’s the only reason you ain’t dead. Don’t push your luck.”

  _____

  Bragan pulled Archer aside down the near edge of the dock. The waves crashed against the support struts violently, as though the sea itself took umbrage against Bragan’s presence. Bragan’s men hung back, guarding Kate.

  Bragan stared silently out at the ocean for a moment. When he finally spoke, he didn’t look at Archer.

  “I won’t lie, Kyle, this betrayal doesn’t come as any great surprise. That doesn’t make it hurt any less, though,” almost reluctantly he turned away from the sea and faced Archer. He wore a somber expression. “I know you blame me for Sara’s death.”

  “There’s a good reason for that,” Archer growled. “You killed her.”

  “I might have pulled the trigger, yes, but I wasn’t the one who killed her. That dubious pleasure was all yours, Kyle. After all, you vouched for her, even though she was a cop,” there was a pause. Bragan searched Archer’s face, looking for a sign of something. “Did you know, I wonder? She did share her bed with you, was that the only thing she shared? Did you really not know she was FBI?” Again a pause, searching his face. “You know, lately, there have been some who have suggested that you yourself are FBI. Personally, I think it’s a ridiculous notion. You’ve damned your own soul twice over while working for me. There’s no way you could have been an undercover all these years. There are rules for these sorts of things and you, Kyle, have broken every one of them.”

  Archer didn’t speak. His expression remained the same: barely restrained rage. His hands hung at his sides in tightly clenched fists.

  Bragan leaned over and whispered, “Would you like to kill me? What if I gave you the opportunity? Would you take it?” he watched Archer’s eyes narrow and twitched. “No, you’re not a cop. You’ve got too much bloodlust in your eyes. You’re just a stupid thug.”

  Bragan turned his back to Archer and started walking back to his men. “Good-bye, Kyle. Do keep a seat warm for me in Hell.”

  Archer saw the opportunity and took it. He lunged for Bragan.

  On cue, Bragan’s men opened fire.

  The bullets streaked around Bragan and struck Archer.

  Kate screamed and tried to run forward, but was held in place by Ray.

  Archer’s body jerked with the impact of the bullets. His eyes widened with an abrupt sad knowledge filling them. He teetered for a moment, rocking on his heels, and then fell back into the water.

  Bragan casually looked over his shoulder. “Tsk. No body. And I was so hoping for a souvenir,” he turned back to Kate. “And as for you. Ray here has made a weak argument for not killing you. It didn’t sell me and, honestly, I don’t think he was sold on the idea himself,” he tipped his head in her direction. “May you fare better in your next life, Ms. Sharpe,” to his men he said, “Dump her body in the water as well,” and then he got into his limo.

  Chapter 26

  Kate felt utterly numb.

  In her minds eye she kept seeing Archer jerk back as the bullets struck him, each impact sending shockwaves across her field of vision. The waves from the water as he fell sounded thunderous in her ears.

  Archer was dead and now they were going to kill her.

  She couldn’t tear her eyes away from where she had last seen Archer.

  Ray said something, but it sounded muffled, like he was talking to her through a thick pillow.

  She looked at him.

  “Sorry, kid. Them’s the breaks,” his voice lacked any real sympathy. His face remained neutral.

  Bragan’s limo slowly pulled away.

  Archer was dead.

  So Kate did the only thing she could think of.

  Balling up her hand, she slammed her fist into the side of Ray’s face. Caught by surprise, Ray jerked back sharply with the punch, the sound of cracking teeth echoed through the air.

  Bragan’s men moved, but it was too little, too late.

  Grabbing Ray by the collar, she pulled him around and used him as a shield. As the first bullets struck Ray, she grabbed the gun from his back holster. His body twitched as the bullets struck him.

  Pushing him aside she fired back through a haze of tears. Her vision wa
s blurry, as the grief and rage enveloped her, but her aim managed to be true. Bragan’s men dropped.

  She whirled around and jumped over the trunk of the taxi, firing at Bragan’s departing limo.

  Her aim was off when Santos clawed at her.

  She jerked her elbow back into his face. A high pitched scream followed as he stumbled back, cupping his bleeding nose.

  Bragan was almost off the dock.

  Kate unloaded the remainder of the clip. The rear tires of the limo exploded and it skidded to a stop.

  “Stupid little girl,” Ray rasped and grabbed her ankles, pulling her to the ground.

  Kate dropped hard, finding herself face to face with a Ray Phillips who was bleeding to death. His eyes were filled a crazy bloodlust. This was not the Ray Phillips she had trusted her life with. His hands wrapped around her neck, intent on choking the life from her, but his grip was weak. She watched as the life slipped from his eyes. Kate had already mourned the loss of her friend. She wasted no tears on this monster.

  Kate got to her feet and picked up Santos’ discarded gun.

  Bragan already stood outside the limo, looking slightly frazzled. He took in the sight of his fallen men, slowly resting his gaze on Kate.

  She leveled her gun at him.

  He shook his head slowly, a knowing smile spreading across his face. “Let’s not fool ourselves,” he said, his voice calm and level. “You’re not a killer. Sure, you may have killed before, but killing me in cold blood? You’re not going to do that.”

  “Don’t be so sure about that,” Kate said, her finger twitched around the trigger. Her vision blurred with tears.

  Bragan stood firm. “You’re a cop. You’re all about justice,” he said. “Where’s the justice in killing me without my due process? Please, this is a game you are not nearly experienced enough to play.”

  Archer was dead. Ray was dead.

  Kate swallowed hard, fighting back tears. “You know what?” her voice trembled slightly, threatening to crack. “You’re absolutely right.”

  He smiled.

  Then she lowered the muzzle of her gun and shot him in both kneecaps.

  Bragan cried out, clutching at his bleeding knees as he dropped to the ground.

  “But I don’t see any reason why you can’t suffer a little,” she said and pulled out Ray’s cellphone.

  She dialed 911 and turned back to where Archer had fallen.

  The dispatcher answered. Kate responded his questions in a hollow and empty voice.

  For all she had done, he still died.

  It was over.

  Chapter 27

  Four months later

  Kate walked along an empty beach, nervous with anticipation. The Caribbean sun had already began its descent, but still beat down on her naked shoulders as the waves gently lapped at her bare feet. She wished she had brought more sun tan lotion. She wore a white tank top and khaki shorts. Her dark brown hair had been pulled back into a ponytail.

  Her Marshal badge was clipped to the front of her shorts, it had come in handy at the tiki shack when the bartender wasn’t too keen on answering her questions. She had a pair of handcuffs holstered on her side, but no gun. She decided she wasn’t going to need one today, not for the man she was looking for.

  Kate raised a hand, blocking the sun from her eyes. The bartender had insisted he was out here. He was always out here. It seemed all he ever did was swing by the tiki bar for a beer and spend the afternoon on the beach. But she had been walking for almost thirty minutes and had seen no sign of anyone. The bartender had explained this stretch of the beach was well off the beaten path. The locals didn’t like it, he had told her. It was reported to be haunted. Kate frowned, she hated local folklore.

  Then she realized the beach wasn’t as empty as it seemed.

  In the distance she spotted a lone figure. He was relaxing in a reclining beach chair with a red umbrella providing shade. Her pulse quickened. This was it. It had to be.

  She picked up her pace.

  As she drew closer she could tell that the figure was a man. He was naked from the waist up, his muscular chest a deep shade of bronze. He wore only a pair of dark blue, loose fitting swimming trunks. His dark hair was cut short, closely cropped to his head. A five o’clock shadow graced his face, adding an extra level of ruggedness to him. He lay back, a pair of sunglasses covering his eyes and his left hand resting beneath his head.

  She couldn’t believe it. Her heart almost stopped from the shock. It was definitely him. He hadn’t changed so much that she didn’t recognize him.

  Kate walked up to the man, her shadow falling across him. “Hello,” she said, breaking the Caribbean silence.

  The man jolted slightly and looked up at her. He had been dozing lightly, in that state between sleep and awake where nothing ever seemed quite real. He hadn’t registered Kate’s presence until she spoke. And when she spoke he felt a fire light up inside him and he was instantly awake.

  He sat up, pulling off his sunglasses, and smiled. “I see you got my message.”

  Kate couldn’t speak. She couldn’t believe it. She had known who she was looking for. She had seen proof. But to be actually standing there, looking him in the eye, she still couldn’t believe it. Kyle Archer was alive.

  Suddenly, she had difficulty standing. She dropped to her knees in front him, her hands resting on his legs. She had to feel him, had to know he was really there.

  “How did you…?” her voice trailed off. She was having a hard time forming words.

  “How did I survive being shot six times at point blank range?” he finished for her.

  “Well, yeah,” she said, those being the only two words that she could even form.

  He covered her hands with his. “I’ll be honest, I don’t know. I don’t remember much. There’s a few flashes of stuff that might have happened, some bright lights. I don’t even think I remember the incident at the dock all that clearly, either. What I’ve been told is that my body washed ashore not too far from the docks. I probably owe my life to you. Miami PD was on scene almost immediately after you called. One of their uniforms that was working the perimeter happened to spot me in the shallow water. He didn’t even realize I was still alive at first. Apparently, despite falling into the ocean, there was still plenty of blood on and around me. The EMS unit that got to me worked double time to keep me from losing anymore blood, but they were pretty certain I wasn’t going to make it to the hospital,” he paused. “I was in a coma for two weeks. They had me listed as a John Doe. My Code Red handlers found out I was still alive two days before I came out of my coma. They filled in the blanks for me. I understand they gave you a medal for bringing in Bragan.”

  Kate wiped away the tears that had been trickling down her face. “I’d hardly call it a medal. It was more a letter of commendation. Besides, you’re the one who did all the work. Thanks to you he's serving consecutive life sentences. You should have gotten a medal. What happened next?”

  He caressed her cheek and she closed her eyes, reveling in the sensation that was his touch. His skin felt so good against her own. It had been absent for far too long

  “What happened next was that my superiors decided not to make matters worse. As far as everyone was concerned, Kyle Archer was dead. They saw no reason to contradict that and neither did I,” he said. “Bragan was still alive. Even though he was in prison, I couldn’t be sure that his reach wouldn’t extend out into the free world. So, we kept Kyle Archer dead. My superiors even managed to find a corpse to double for me.”

  She leaned back, looking at him, her gaze working from his feet up, lingering on the bullet wounds on his chest and then finally resting on his eyes. “So, if Kyle Archer is dead, who are you?”

  He smiled and threw his arms wide. “Kyle Stone at your service. I’m a freelance photographer. My last assignment was a pictorial series for National Geographic. I think it was a nice change of pace from the shooting and killing and turns out I actually have an eye for it.<
br />
  “In addition to the new identity the agency also decided to make sure I was well compensated for my years of service. I live the good, but simple, life now. My sister and her daughter know the truth. I talk to them when I can, but not too often. It’s better that way, really.”

  He stopped, just taking a moment to look at her. He had missed her so much.

  Kyle cupped her chin and gazed into her eyes. “All that time in the hospital,” he said, “the only thing that got me through it was you. But I’ll be honest, though, I didn’t know what to do. As far as you were concerned, I was dead and I wasn’t sure if that wasn’t for the best.”

  Kate blinked, trying to not cry. “Oh, Kyle…”

  “No, no tears,” he wiped his thumb across under eye. “I came into your life and made it a living Hell. But, you, Kate, you brought me back from Hell. I thought about not contacting you, but I didn’t hold out for very long.”

  He couldn’t take it anymore. He pulled her up to him and kissed her. Her lips felt so cool in the heat of the Caribbean sun. How he had missed those lips, her kiss.

  He pulled back, searching her face. “It’s real, Kate, what I felt back then, I feel it now. I love you and I can’t imagine my life with anyone else.”

  Her eyes watered again. She tried to blink away the tears. There was no hesitation on her part. “Oh, Kyle Archer or Stone, whatever your name is, I love you, too.”

  “Good,” he replied. “I just wanted to make sure we were both on the same page,” they kissed again, her fingers lacing themselves around his neck. The sunlight caught the metal of the handcuffs. He eyed them suspiciously. “And those?”

  “For old time’s sake,” she said with a smile.

  “Right,” he grabbed her wrist and pulled her on top of him as he laid back on the chair. “I was thinking, maybe we should just leave the past behind us and focus on the future.”

  “The future?”

  “Yeah.”

  He wrapped his hand around her and pulled her tightly against him. They kissed as the sun set, casting its golden glow across their entangled bodies.