“Go out the door here,” Jackson ordered as he sent a text. Cody Gray or Luke Tanner, the two Keeneston deputies, would be right down the street. It was almost seven at night and Matt was probably at home. The trouble with the winter was how early it got dark. The new moon meant there was even less light available. Only the soft yellow glow of the street lamps out front that somehow made its way through the sliver of an alley illuminated the back parking area. Jackson looked quickly out of the kitchen window. He was sure of what he had seen. The shadows had moved.
“Into your mom’s shop?”
Jackson grabbed the leopard purse with her axe in it, shoved it at her, and then unlocked the door. “Yes. Stay as low as possible. Crawl if you can. Don’t turn on any lights. Mom locked up almost an hour ago so no one is there. There’s a storage room under the stairs. She has tons of fabric in there. Hide and don’t come out until you hear someone you know.”
Evie looked as if she wanted to argue, but Jackson kissed her quickly and practically shoved her out the door before locking it again behind them both. They went down the stairs bent double to stay low and at the bottom Jackson pointed to the left where he wanted Evie to go.
Three minutes out was the text he got from Cody. Matt and Luke were both coming in from their homes and were closer to eight minutes away. Ryan was racing from Lexington. Lucas and Talon were similarly making their way toward Keeneston. Jackson waited until he heard the soft click of the storage door closing before he was out the front door and slinking through the darkness around the side of the building. He’d seen two shadows moving in the parking lot. He’d been against worse odds than this before.
* * *
Evie tried to control her breathing as she closed the door to the storage closet. She couldn’t see a thing and Jackson hadn’t given her a flashlight so she went by feel. Evie felt large rolls of fabric leaning against the wall and slowly inched her way to the end of the row before wedging herself behind them at the back of the closet.
Her heart raced as she pulled the axe from the purse and clutched it in both hands. There was nothing for her to do but wait. In the darkness and silence of the closet, there was also nothing preventing her mind from leaping to the worst possible outcome. Evie shook her head as a way to regain command of her runaway thoughts. She was in control. Jackson was a professional. She’d seen him send a text. Help was on the way.
* * *
Jackson had his gun in hand and his back pressed against the cold brick wall of the neighboring building. The alley was, at most, three feet wide and he took his time with each step, making sure it was silent.
He heard whispers and then the sound of a booted foot on the bottom stair leading up to the apartment. Jackson slowed his breathing and opened his senses. He knew from a quick visual that there were at least two of them, but he didn’t know if there were more. He listened for footsteps and heard some on the gravel by the cars. First, he had to stop the man on the stairs. He didn’t want them knowing Evie wasn’t upstairs.
Jackson tucked his gun into the holster and risked stepping to the illuminated side of the alley to climb the fire ladder that led to the top of the old building. From the second-floor window, which was outside the apartment’s bathroom, he would have a clear shot of the stairs when he leaned around the side of the building.
Jackson quickly scaled the ladder without making a sound while he counted the stairs he heard the man climbing. Jackson moved to the left side of the ladder so that only his right hand and foot were on it and held the gun in his left hand. He wasn’t a left-handed shooter, but he could make it work. He practiced countless hours shooting with his nondominant hand for just this reason.
He heard the man take the last two stairs and Jackson extended his right arm, hanging himself off the side of the building. The man was reaching for the door when Jackson yelled at him. “FBI. Drop it or I’ll shoot.”
Jackson heard someone running as the man by the door turned. There was a flash of a gun in the dim light and Jackson fired. He didn’t shoot to kill, but to disable. The man screamed and dropped the gun.
The bullet that ricocheted off the old metal fire ladder didn’t surprise him. He’d heard the man above him start running across the roof toward him when he identified himself. Jackson shoved his gun into the holster and moved his feet to the outside of the ladder and down he went. He slid down the ladder, never touching the rungs before his feet slammed onto the ground. He was a sitting duck for the man above him firing down and he knew he had to get to safety or he wasn’t going to make it.
* * *
Evie heard what sounded like popcorn popping but the real source of the sound became clear to her as she visualized what was happening outside. That was gunfire—a lot of it. Her first instinct was to run and help Jackson. Her second was acknowledging she might be more of a distraction than help.
“Oh please. If Jackson lives, I promise I will learn everything I can so that I can help him next time.”
Evie listened and heard thundering across the roof. Was that Jackson? Not knowing was the worst part. Suddenly there was the sound of someone pounding or kicking the back door. The force of the repeated hits reverberated through the walls until Evie could feel them even under the stairs. She shrank into the darkness and hoped it was Jackson, even though she knew it wasn’t.
“What would Annie and Bridget do?” Evie asked herself. Annie and Bridget would fight.
Evie shoved her bag to the side and moved so that she was standing behind the six-foot-long rolls of fabric. She was ready to fight for her life and for Jackson’s.
* * *
Jackson kept against the brick wall as he made his way around the corner of the building and dove under the stairs leading to the apartment as he heard sirens. He calmly armed himself until he heard the banging. A third person was trying to get into the shop. Evie!
Jackson could hear the wounded man on the landing above him yelling Jackson’s location to the man on the roof and then the sound of Cody’s cruiser sliding to a stop in the parking lot behind Jackson’s SUV.
Immediately, shots were fired from the roof and Jackson heard them shattering the windshield and pinging into the metal of the cruiser. He didn’t have time to worry about Cody. He had to move or both Cody and Evie would be dead. The shooter from the roof was just a distraction. There was still another man somewhere in the shadows.
“He’s down here!” the man above him yelled. Jackson wanted to keep him alive for questioning, but he didn’t need him broadcasting his every move. Jackson looked up to the landing above him. Peering through the metal mesh stairs and landing, Jackson aimed his gun and fired.
The man screamed and then was quiet. Jackson hoped he’d passed out from the extreme pain of a bullet in his kneecap. As the roof sniper took aim at Cody, Jackson saw another figure moving along the length of Jackson’s SUV toward Cody. Jackson rested his hands on the stair since the mesh stairs had no risers and aimed. He watched as the man stopped and raised his weapon at Cody. Jackson fired. The shot was true and the man dropped instantly.
Cody’s passenger door opened and he crawled out, falling onto the gravel.
“Jackson?”
“Cover me!” Jackson yelled in response. He had to get to Evie.
“Location?”
“North side of the roof,” Jackson called back.
Cody pulled his gun as he spoke into his radio. “Officer under fire at Southern Charms. Sniper on roof.”
Jackson watched as Cody pulled out his extra clips and laid them out in front of him for easy access. Then Cody nodded at Jackson. The second Cody fired the first shot, Jackson ran from under the stairs and kept to the wall of his mom’s building so the sniper would have to look over to see him. If he did so, he would then give Cody a clear shot.
Cody kept the man on the roof distracted as Jackson slowed when he approached the far corner of the building facing the side street. So far, his mom’s door was holding, but it wouldn’t last for long.
Jackson assessed the area silently. He lifted his arm and aimed his gun. As he squeezed the trigger, the door burst open and the man fell into the shop before the bullet could hit its mark. Dammit! Jackson was out of ammunition. He dropped the gun and pulled his combat knife from his boot. Jackson ran for the door. He heard the man calling for Evie and moved the knife into attack position. He’d die before he let this man near her.
23
Evie heard it before it happened. The sound of the gunfire didn’t drown out the sound of the man kicking the door. Then she heard the splintering of wood as the door finally gave. The crashing sound it made seemed deafening in her hiding spot where even her breathing seemed loud.
“Evie!”
A chill ran up her spine as her fingers gripped the axe so tightly that her knuckles whitened.
“Eeeeeevie, your brother sent me.”
Evie took a steadying breath. Annie and Bridget wouldn’t be scared. She’d learned that Abby was Bridget’s daughter, and Evie had a feeling Abby would find this situation fun. She wasn’t like them, though. She wasn’t trained in combat. She wasn’t trained in killing people but right now she would do anything not to die.
Evie closed her eyes and loosened her grip on the axe. She might not be a warrior, but she had a lot to live for and she wasn’t going to just let them take her. She had Jackson. She had a country and innocent people to protect. She had a specialty cocktail to design.
“Eeeeev . . . umph!”
The man calling her name was cut off as she felt the floor shake. Evie should have kept hidden, but the sounds of a fight reached her as she moved closer to the door. She heard Jackson curse and all flight response fled. Evie grabbed the door handle and unlocked it. She had to get to Jackson.
When she opened the door, she saw Jackson and a man she didn’t know squared off against each other close to a rack of large hats. Jackson was relentless in going after his target. The man was clearly overwhelmed and retreating. He was backing up toward her as Jackson slashed a knife toward him.
“Where’s Jonathan Ellis?”
“He’s everywhere,” the man laughed, but Evie could hear the nerves in his voice. She wouldn’t be able to speak if Jackson were advancing on her like that. His eyes were dark, almost black looking, and he seemed completely in control. There was no hesitation in his movements. No fear. He knew he was the apex predator getting ready to take down his prey and his prey knew it too.
“How about this. You tell me what your end target is and I’ll only hurt you a little instead of killing you slowly.”
Evie gulped as she peered out the cracked door. She didn’t doubt a single word of what Jackson said. Neither did the man.
“I don’t know what it is yet. I just know it’s on the East Coast. That’s why we’ve been moving this direction.”
“Why does he want Evie?” Jackson asked, closing the distance as they slowly moved closer toward her.
“She knows the final target. She can ruin our rebellion.”
“A rebellion for what?” Jackson asked with impatience. “All you’ve done is kill innocent people. Was that your plan? To be such cowards as to blow up children?”
Tears immediately flooded Evie’s eyes. She’d known a child had died and it was her fault. The child died in the arms of his mother who died trying to protect him, leaving behind a father with a newborn and a broken life. No, it wasn’t her fault. It was this man’s fault. It was Jonathan’s fault and they were going to pay.
“They were supporting evil. That bank is everything wrong with the country. They control who gets houses and who can start businesses all over the country. What does a bank in New York City care about a family in Montana? They shouldn’t have that kind of power. The people should hold their own power and their own money.”
“Where? In their mattress?”
“Don’t be sarcastic. Anarchism isn’t total chaos. We reject hierarchies and government interference. There can be cooperation in and between self-governed societies,” the man argued.
“I studied philosophy too,” Jackson said dryly. “Anarchism has been around since the ancient world. I know all about individualist anarchism and social anarchism. But nowhere in those ideas, or the more modern anti-war, anti-capitalist, and anti-globalization ideas anarchists are so fond of protesting does it say to kill innocent children.”
“Maybe not, but you’re not innocent either. Are you a cop? How many innocent people have you killed?”
“None. Unlike you.” Jackson’s answer was almost a growl as the retreating man stepped back and hit the table near the hinges of her door.
Evie saw the moment the man decided to fight. She saw his hand close around the pair of scissors and she just acted. Evie yanked the door open the rest of the way and lifted her axe. She closed her eyes and swung. Her axe sank into the man as he screamed. Evie squeezed her eyes tighter.
“Evie!” Jackson snapped. “Are you okay?”
“Did I kill him?” Evie managed to stutter as she kept her eyes closed.
“What?”
“Did I kill him? Oh god. It was such a disgusting feeling when my axe hit him.”
“Sweetheart, open your eyes.”
“Did you cover the body?”
“Evie,” Jackson said. He was closer to her now and she swallowed hard. “You were very brave trying to protect me like that. And you held your axe perfectly. But, can I give you a suggestion for next time?”
Evie cracked her eyes open and refused to take them from Jackson’s face. He had a slight smile on his lips as he held her arms with his hands as if steadying her. Evie managed to nod her answer.
“Keep your eyes open when you swing.”
Jackson moved to the right just a little and Evie felt her eyes go wide. There was an axe sticking out of a mannequin’s head. Evie had split a beautiful hat in two. “Then where’s . . . oh.” Evie looked behind Jackson and saw the man on the ground. He wasn’t moving. A knife was buried in his heart.
“I’m sorry you have to see that.” Jackson said stiffly. “It always sounds like a heroic story when women hear about my job, but seeing me kill someone is completely different.”
Evie looked back up at Jackson. Did he think she wouldn’t love him anymore because he killed a man to protect them both?
“Come on. There’s a sniper on the roof. I need to get you back in the closet.”
“Jackson,” Evie said, grabbing his hand. “I’m not going back in there. My place is by your side. I closed my eyes but I won’t do that next time.”
“Next time?”
“Jon is just going to keep sending more people after me. I have to figure out where his target is. Or I have to lure him out so you can get him,” Evie told him as she squeezed his hand in support. “I’m not leaving. You saved my life so I owe you one. Now, how do we get a sniper?”
“I need to get outside and over to the rooftop of a nearby building. It has to be taller than this one, so possibly the bank. Across the street is one too, but I’d be out in the open then.”
“Then let’s go.”
“I don’t have a rifle.”
“Well, where is it?” Evie asked with a roll of her eyes.
“My M82 is upstairs.”
“Then go get it.”
Jackson’s lips turned up into a small smile and he seemed to relax knowing she wasn’t changing her mind about him. Instead, she reached over and grabbed her axe and pulled. Jackson’s smile turned into a smothered laugh as the mannequin fell down on her. “Oh, go get your gun.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Evie heard Jackson laugh as he made his way toward the stairs. Just because she had to put a foot on the mannequin’s head to pull her axe free didn’t mean it was funny. Okay, it was a little funny.
“Let’s go before Cody gets shot,” Jackson said, hurrying back down the stairs with a large rifle in hand.
With the axe in her hand, Evie turned and followed Jackson out the front door. Evie held his hand as
they pressed their backs against the wall and slid through the darkness down the street. It was strange when the gunshots stopped and Evie hoped Cody was still alive. Evie felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and tugged on Jackson’s hand. “My phone. Maybe it’s Jon.”
“Get it,” he whispered.
Evie pulled it out and looked at the text from a number she didn’t know.
Tell Jackson to cause a distraction in the street.
“Jackson, someone wants you to cause a distraction in the street,” Evie told him.
Jackson shook his head and pulled her along.
Evie, please. He has to do something NOW or Cody’s dead.
“Jackson,” Evie whispered frantically, but Jackson pulled her along.
“Not now. I’m thinking.”
Evie yanked her hand free and ran into the street screaming. “Help me! Someone help me!”
“Evie!” Jackson yelled in surprise and fear as he pulled his rifle and aimed it at the roof. There wouldn’t be a shot. Even Evie knew that from basic geometry as she ran for the alleyway across the street.
Her heart was beating so loudly that the beats seemed to bounce her forward as adrenaline and fear had her running as fast as she could until the sound of a large-caliber bullet boomed and then echoed down the street.
24
“Evie!” Jackson yelled. His heart stopped when she broke free from his grip and ran into the street. It was like time stood still. He was already running toward her with the rifle pointed at the roof to provide cover when the shot echoed down the street and straight through his heart. His eyes flew to Evie, prepared to see her fall only to find her standing still staring at his mom’s store.
Jackson’s head whipped around and he almost fired when he saw movement. But it wasn’t a threat. It was the sniper falling over the short brick wall of the roof and landing on the sidewalk.
Forever Freed Page 17