by S. K. Lessly
“Everyone is telling me she’s guilty, but no one has shown me shit that proves it.”
“And you haven’t proved to me she’s innocent either, Wolf. We’re at a standstill it seems,” George retorted offhandedly, and we both fell silent. A staring match commenced for a few heartbeats until he sighed, leaned back in his desk chair, and broke the silence.
“Look, clearly you don’t know her as well as you think you do, Wolf. Which is to be expected. After all, it’s been years since you’ve seen each other. We’re not asking you to get in deep with her. All I want you to do is feel her out. See if she will confide in you or give you some type of clue about what she’s been up to. We’ve been monitoring all of her finances and checking for any abnormalities and so far, nothing.”
“Okay, if it’s that simple and all you want to do is feel her out, why don’t you let me talk to her?” I suggested, haughtily. “I can stop wasting precious time, bring her in, ask her some questions and get to the bottom of this.” I scooted to the edge of my seat and focused determined eyes on my boss. “Sir, I think it’s the only way to get the answers we seek. You said it yourself she’ll talk to me. We have history. But if she decides for some reason not to talk, you know I can get around that too.”
George looked into my eyes and I didn’t like the look in them. I hated to be questioned, but I hated even more to be doubted.
My eyes narrowed on him and I stiffened. Irritation flared throughout my body and I knew, in any second, if I didn’t end this meeting I would explode. The tension in the air was thick. I could taste it on my tongue, and I knew I wasn’t the only one.
“Look, I know my job, sir,” I chided through clenched teeth, my voice low and cold. “I know what’s at stake. I have no problem doing what needs to be done.”
“Even if it means putting a bullet in her?” Jessica questioned, and I literally felt my blood run cold. I was choking with rage as I regarded her frostily.
Jessica couldn’t hold my gaze for very long, and I could see and sense the fear and uncertainty. George cleared his throat in an effort to gain my attention, to get control of the room. That shit didn’t work. I kept my eyes on my so-called partner, letting her know in no uncertain terms she and I would have words.
Jessica always had my back and I had hers. If we disagreed about anything, we never voiced it in front of company. We did it when we were alone, so I was taken aback by her behavior.
“You got something to say,” I said acidly, “fucking say that shit!”
“I believe I just did,” she countered, albeit the heat in her voice had diminished slightly. Mine didn’t.
“Be fucking careful, Jessica. You don’t want any part of this,” I warned, my threat evident in not only my voice but my words.
“Alright you two, let’s keep our heads in the game,” George tried to intervene, but I spoke over him.
“Don’t ever fucking question my loyalty,” I warned, my voice deep, low and menacing.
“Ethan, no one is questioning your loyalty.” George spoke up this time, gaining my attention.
“Really?” I cut my eyes to George. “It looks that fucking way to me.” I stood and looked at them both. “I don’t have a problem with the job. If she’s guilty then so be it. I’ll do whatever is necessary to bring her to justice even if that means putting a bullet between her eyes.” I pointed a finger at Jessica then at my boss. “You just better make sure you’re right about this because if you’re not, so help me fucking god…”
I didn’t finish my sentence. I didn’t need to. The underlined threat was there in my body language and hard eyes. I gave one last dark, promising look to George then to Jessica before I turned and left the room.
I knew George had a legitimate reason to question me. I had a personal stake in this case. He was also right about how much time had passed between Lexie and me. But he was wrong about one thing. I knew Lexie. She just wasn’t the type to do what she was being accused of. No fucking way.
I didn’t have to spend a bunch of time with her to know she wasn’t capable of espionage. She was still the meek girl I had left outside her house twelve years ago. Even if she did manage to learn how to hack into government databases, which I just couldn’t fathom, I knew without a shadow of a doubt she wouldn’t commit treason and sell top secret information to the highest bidder.
I pulled up to our mobile command center, which was a huge, tricked out RV we affectionately called the bus. We were a few miles outside of Dover in a parking lot of an abandoned warehouse. We had been working over the past three months to change the once dilapidated building into our new home. It was almost finished, flooring and furniture being the last to fill the space.
The warehouse had four levels. Two were equipped with living quarters, each consisting of the typical living space: a living room, dining area, bathrooms, large bedrooms, a huge TV/game room and a large industrial kitchen. The other two levels, not including the main floor, consisted of offices, a computer room, interrogation rooms, and holding cells.
We selected this area for our office because of its autonomy. Dover was the capital of Delaware, but it wasn’t the largest city in the state. There were a few colleges in the area. The city also had two huge attractions that brought money to the area, Delaware International Speedway and the Dover Downs Hotel and Casino. Other than a couple of events at the Speedway throughout the year, this city was quiet.
Dover was far enough away from D.C. but close enough to any major city or airport should we need one. There was also an Airforce base close by, which would come in handy for the times we needed to fly out of the country at a moment’s notice.
I shut down the massive V8 engine of my car but didn’t move to get out. Needless to say, the ride here from D.C. had been tense and quiet. Both Jessica and I hadn’t said shit to each other, which was a good thing. The way I had been feeling, if she parted her lips to say anything, I would have literally kicked her out of my got damn car, while it was still moved.
I closed my eyes and leaned my seat back, indicating to my unwanted passenger I wasn’t moving from my spot. Jessica got the hint she wasn’t wanted, mumbled something, then exited the car. I didn’t bother with a respond nor did I acknowledge her departure.
Instead, I breathed out another controlled sigh and stamped down my anger before I walked inside the command center. I needed to think rationally, put away my biased thoughts and concentrate on the evidence. I needed to do what George suggested; I needed to find proof she was innocent. That meant I needed to spend more time with her.
With that thought in mind, I groaned unpleasantly. I ran my hand over my face in frustration and tried not to think about being with Lexie.
Fucking Lexie…
I couldn’t ignore the fact that things were different between us; I could tell that when we had dinner. The easygoing friendship we once had was gone. It wasn’t her fault that happened. It was all mine. As I said, she hadn’t changed. But I did. I grew harder, colder as the years fell away. My heart used to beat specifically for her back in high school. I had it in my mind she was it for me. I was going to marry her, run away with her, and have a fuckload of babies.
I used to imagine the baby making parts every damn night, no matter if I was in my own room across the street or if I was under her roof. I even rubbed one out almost every single night when I was in high school to the thoughts of Alexis Stone.
I had been gone for that girl. Her sweetness, innocence, and fat ass had me thinking of nothing else but her. Things changed for me when I moved away. I changed, no longer having her light to get me through the darkness in my head and heart. Then she fucking obliterated me and that was it.
Sitting here thinking of her now was stirring shit I had thought I buried a long ass time ago. Admittedly, I knew better. Alexis was never far from my thoughts, no matter how hard I tried to forget her. And now it was worse. Seeing her for the first time in years did something to me. I didn’t know how it happened or when, but fuck I
was gone for her all over again and I barely spoke to her.
Fuck, the woman was beautiful, sexy, and gorgeous as hell. She had all the right curves and had no clue how sexy she was, and that right there had my dick harder than a rock. But that wasn’t the only reason I ached to be inside her. It was her smile, her laugh, and the innocence and vulnerability in her eyes that had the glaciers running through my veins melting.
Lexie always managed to do that, to calm me. She brought out the best in me when we were younger. She made me better and I needed that in my life back then. There had been times when I wondered if things would’ve been different if I’d stayed in Dover with her. What would my life look like now? Would we have gotten married and had kids by now? Would we be happy?
I also wondered if I would’ve been doing something else other than killing people. I would’ve wanted to do more, for her. I loved her back then and even though I didn’t, couldn’t, feel that right now, I still would do anything to protect her and save her.
The question I had to answer was, what if she was guilty? Could I really put a bullet between her eyes? I instantly got angry just thinking about the situation she’d put me in. No matter the consequences, I had to get through to her. Maybe if I could get her to admit to me what she’d done, I could help her get out of this shit alive.
Ready to get “Operation Save Alexis,” underway, I climbed out my car, locked the doors and headed inside the RV with determination in my step. I headed straight for Billy Masterson, our main tech guy, who was sitting in front of a bunch of computer monitors.
I pulled up a chair and sat next to Billy. There were about six monitors each showing a portion of the Stone house, inside and out. I surveyed the screens, taking in the house and the area around it.
“What’s been going on?” I asked him, my eyes searching, assessing.
“Nothing so far. Everything’s been quiet in the house,” Billy reported.
“Where’s Lexie?”
“She’s in that room.” He pointed to one of the monitors. It was showing a bedroom with a figure lying across a bed, not moving. “Been there for a few days.”
“Any traffic lately other than the nurse?”
“Yeah, there was lots of traffic, but I couldn’t make out everyone. Her father’s there, though. He’s right there.” Billy pointed to a figure sitting at the kitchen table.
I leaned in closer and realized the body type of the figure did look like the old man I used to know.
“I think her boyfriend or fiancé came around too, but he didn’t stay at the house.”
“Then how do you know it was him?” I looked at him.
He shrugged. “Facial recognition. We have a picture of him, and I confirmed it using that.”
I simply nodded. Why on earth wouldn’t he stay with her? I looked at other screens and it finally dawned on me someone was missing.
“Where’s her mom?”
“Oh, she died,” he answered dryly, and I wasn’t sure if it was the way he answered me or the actual words he’d spoken that caused my blood to boil.
I stopped moving. Hell, I stopped breathing. I looked at the screen showing Lexie’s bedroom as everything Billy said started to register: “She hasn’t left the room in days. Her father was here, fiancé left.” I looked at him for a split second, not really seeing him. Then I saw red.
“What the fuck did you just say?” I asked him, a vortex of anger swirling inside so strong I couldn’t think straight. I had clocked Jessica moving into the space, but I kept my eyes on Billy.
Billy looked over at me with alarm on his face. He looked at Jessica then back at me. “I…I… said… um she...”
I didn’t let him finish. Before I even realized I was moving, I was up, lifting Billy up out of his chair, and slamming him against the wall of the RV. It rocked from the force, but it didn’t faze me at all. Instead, it fed the tumultuous fury that surged through my body.
Billy wasn’t a small man. He was 5’11 and two hundred and forty pounds of muscle, easy. But in that moment, he weighed less than a feather.
I put my forearm against Billy’s throat and squeezed. “Didn’t I tell you to call me if anything happened?” I bit out through gritted teeth, my face inches away from Billy’s reddened one. He struggled underneath my hold, trying to push my arm from his throat, but I only squeezed harder.
“Wolf, let him go!”
Jessica moved closer to stand behind me. I didn’t listen. I was beyond control at this point, so she tried another approach. One that would for sure change our relationship forever.
“It’s not his fault. It’s mine.” That got my attention. I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. “Billy called me a few days ago and told me she called to tell you that her mother died.”
Damn it! I knew this would happen. It was against my better judgment, but I had given Lexie a card that had my work cell number not my personal cell. First, I didn’t think I’d be in D.C. for over a week. Second, I figured if she did call, I’d get the fucking message.
Jessica backed up and waited for the explosion to fall on her. Instead, I removed my arm from Billy’s neck and heard his body drop to the ground. He was wheezing and sputtering, but I tuned him out. I couldn’t believe this shit.
This was all kinds of fucked up. I had so many emotions running through my fucking soulless body I couldn’t see straight. I had never felt this kind of pain, didn’t even understand its purpose. I felt lost, alone, and fucking heartbroken.
I closed my eyes and dropped my head to my chin. I allowed the anger inside me to burn until it consumed me. Jessica, hoping to be able to explain her actions, added, “Look, he called and told me when you were ah… in the shower. I didn’t think it was important to mention until we got back. I told him to watch Alexis and make sure she was okay.”
I finally turned around and looked at her. It took everything in me not to snap her fucking neck right where she stood. I knew, as she studied my face, she understood how much danger she was in, but she didn’t get the hint. No, she parted her got damn lips to speak again.
“Ethan, I understand you’re upset. But understand that Billy and I are just doing our jobs. We all need to keep our heads on straight here. A lot is at stake and unfortunately, her mother dying isn’t part of the mission. I’m sorry. The mission here is her and the shit she’s into.”
Resolvedly, I managed to find my voice, albeit it was scratchy, and managed to say, “You’re right. That is the mission.”
Jessica visibly relaxed and started to say something else. However, I had no intention of spending another second in her presence. I wordlessly walked past her and left the RV without looking back.
I stepped out into the hot summer evening and rounded my car, starting it up using my key fob, before I got to the driver side door.
“Where are you going? To her?” I looked up to find Jessica standing a few feet away from my car. It pissed me off that she had the audacity to be angry. She was the one in the wrong here. She was the one that destroyed my faith in her. And she had the nerve to shoot venom at me?
At first, I started not to answer her. The bitch didn’t deserve it. But I found myself saying to her, my voice dead, cold, “Well, it seems the woman, who was more of a mother to me than my own ever could be, has just died. If you don’t fucking mind, I’m going to pay my respects.”
Without another word, I climbed inside my car and sped away. I pulled out my phone, connected to my work messages, and found out Lexie had left at least a dozen messages. I was also able to see that I had a fuckload of missed calls and text messages too. I dropped my phone to the seat next to me, unable to bring myself to listen to her tell me that the only mother I had was gone. I just hoped Lexie was okay. If she wasn’t, I had no clue how I was going to make this shit better.
***
Jessica watched him drive away. He was beginning to get soft and she had to do something about it quick or she would lose him forever.
She stepped inside the R
V and watched as Billy rubbed his neck, swallowing and looking worse for wear. He heard her step closer to him and he looked up at her.
“I told you he was going to be pissed,” Billy stated unnecessarily.
Jessica didn’t respond. Instead, she sat in the chair next to him and watched the screens in front of her. She had some time to get what she needed. She would head back to D.C. and comb over every bit of evidence she could find. This bitch was dirty. She could smell it. Just like Ethan was working to exonerate her, she was working to end her.
Chapter Eight
Alexis
I lay in my bed trying desperately to breathe.
It had been the worst few days of my life, and I had no idea how it would ever get any better. I had lost one of the most important people in my life, the glue that held me together, in matter of minutes. My heart ached. I felt lost, broken, alone, and empty. How was I supposed to live without her?
I had been told God wouldn’t put you through situations you couldn’t survive. Well, I wasn’t sure what in the hell he was thinking taking my mom away. I wasn’t going to survive this, not at all.
The night I had ice cream with my mom was the last night of her life. I had heard an alarm going off in my subconscious, later that night, but I didn’t open my eyes. I’d thought it was a car alarm going off outside, but then it hit me—I knew what it was. I jumped out of the bed and ran to my mom’s bed to find her body convulsing violently.
“Oh God, Mama!” I’d screamed in a panic, reaching for the house phone next to her bed.
I had dialed 911, but by the time they arrived on the scene, she had passed away. I attempted CPR, beating on her chest, crying for her to hold on. But I knew. I just knew it was too late. She was gone.
I later learned she’d suffered what was called a Grand Mal seizure. This seizure was the worst of its kind. It was so bad, she also suffered a brain aneurysm and there wasn’t anything anyone could do. I’d known it was going to happen, losing her, but nothing prepared me for the actual reality. Seeing my mother go through that ripped me into pieces. Wondering if she was in any pain, if she was scared, if she knew what was happening, that ate at me. God, I hoped she felt me there. I hoped she’d known she wasn’t alone.