“How big of a circle?”
“Move out a little.” The men started stepping back, three of them with guns trained on him. When they’d gone far enough, Carter said, “There! It’s within this circle somewhere.”
“You two and you two―get the shovels and start digging. Give Deputy Dawg here a shovel and let him get to work too. Dig, sheriff. Dig like your life depends on it, because it does.” Carter took the shovel that was handed to him and stuck the tip in the ground, tonguing the capsule in his cheek. “Well? Fucking dig!” Angelico yelled, and all five men started working.
It didn’t take long before Carter was tired, but he tried to think about Sharla and the kids. Once these guys got what they wanted, they’d leave her and the kids alone. Yeah, they wouldn’t have him, but that was okay. He thought Lionel wasn’t really very fond of him anyway, and he chuckled. “What’s so funny, copper?” one of the guys asked.
“Nothing. Just thinking about something somebody said to me one time. That’s all.”
Angelico rolled his eyes. “You could spit that capsule out if you want.”
“Not a chance.” Carter went back to work digging. The ground was packed and it was slow going.
They’d managed to dig five holes deep enough to stand in when Carter’s shovel blade hit something solid. He hit it a couple more times and it made a clanging sound. “Found something.”
“Keep digging. You,” Angelico barked at one of the other guys, “get over here and help him.”
“Yes, Capo Paolo,” the man answered and jumped into the hole with Carter.
“I’d say we should dig around the edges here,” Carter said, shoveling a little more away from whatever it was. As they dug, it became obvious that it was some kind of metal sheet, maybe steel, and it was painted dark blue. Carter gave it a hard stomp. “Hollow. There’s something inside there, I’m betting.”
“Good going. We’ll let you live until the lid comes off and you can see what you’ve died for,” Angelico said, not a shred of humor in his voice. The men continued to dig, and Carter knew his time was dwindling. He tried to picture Sharla in the morning, sleeping peacefully in his bed, her hair fanned out over the pillow, a languid smile on her face and one breast uncovered. It made him smile, thinking of her softness, her warmth, the dampness between her legs when he teased her, the puckering of her nipples when he sucked them. God, she was all he’d ever wanted, and she had to come along at the very end. That was just his luck.
“Got an edge here!” one of the other guys called out.
Angelico clapped his hands. “Good. Dig along it and let’s see if we can get that thing open.” They shoveled a little more out. “Clean it up, guys. Clean it up. Yeah, just like that. Can you get it open?”
Carter stuck the blade of his shovel under the edge and pried. “Yeah, I think so. It should come open.”
“Get the fuck out of there. Guys, drag him up.” Hands were all over him, pulling at him, lifting him, and in seconds, he was lying on the dirt at the edge of the hole while Angelico stared down into the hole.
“Got a light?” one of them called up.
“You got a light in that fuckin’ truck?” Angelico barked.
“Yeah. Under the front seat. Long silver flashlight.”
“Go get it, dumbass.” They watched as the guy ambled over to the truck, found the light, and brought it back. “Now we get to see what we’ve been looking for all these years.” Angelico trained the light down into the hole and Carter leaned over just enough to see what was there.
Bags. Canvas bags. He had to believe they were full of money. And there, sitting on a huge Harley Davidson Electra Glide, was a skeleton, its bony hands gripping the bars and its head lying about three feet away. “Lost your head there, Don Eduardo!” Angelico cackled, and the other guys laughed too. Carter could see with no trouble that the ring finger of the corpse was missing. The rumors were true. That big, tacky ring on Angelico’s hand had indeed come from that corpse, and it appeared Taliq had quite a sense of humor to boot. “Get down in there, Weasel, and check out those bags.” One of the men jumped down into the metal enclosure and threw a bag out. When Angelico picked it up, money fell out onto the ground. “Aha! There it is! After all these years.” He kissed a stack of what looked like twenties, then turned to Carter. “Looks like you’ve outlived your usefulness. Boys, get that money out of there and put the cop down there. Nobody will ever find him. Hell, look how long it took us to find it! But I’ll send you to your grave with one thought. I’ll keep my word. Your woman and those kids are safe. We don’t need them for anything. The cops already know us, so it’s not like they’re going to spill any beans, and we have no use for them. But it’s time to go, so get your ass on down there in that hole and stay put. Here. Take a bottle of water. You’ll survive an extra day with that.” Angelico threw the bottle down into the top of the enclosure and pointed for Carter to follow it.
This is it, Carter thought as he walked toward the gaping maw of the excavation. That was when he caught it, something he recognized immediately. Through all the odors of rust, oil, rotting tires, and old gasoline, rolled the slight but distinctive smell of something only a law enforcement officer would recognize―brand-new Kevlar. Carter did the only thing he could think to do.
He sat down.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Angelico screamed.
“I’m sitting right here. You’ll have to drag me down there or shoot me.”
“Not a problem. Boys, get up here and throw the pig into the pig sty.” The two men who’d dropped down into the hole scrambled up as the others stood with their weapons. They were all above ground and that was exactly what Carter wanted.
Something whizzed through the air and he squeezed his eyes shut just before the flash bang cannister went off. There was a lot of smoke, and yelling, and gunfire. He was scrambling, crawling, clawing, trying to get out of the middle of that infernal hell when he felt something on his neck. There was more yelling and gunfire, and he rolled toward a stack of crushed cars out of the middle of the melee. As soon as he was tucked away under the edge of something rusted and red, he slapped his hand on his neck, and when he drew it away, it was drenched.
Blood. Too much blood. Carter pressed against his neck, and he could feel it oozing between his fingers. Shit. I’ve got to find somebody or make somebody see me. He tried to roll, but it was too hard. The gunfire was quieting, and he wondered if anyone could hear him if he called out. “Guys! Hey, guys! Over here!” was all he could think to yell.
He could hear a distinctive Texas drawl in the voice wafting out over the carnage. “Carter? Carter! You out there? CARTER! It’s Cruz, Carter! Where are you? He’s not down there.”
“Where the hell is he?” another voice asked.
“Hey!” His voice was thin and small to his own ears, and a buzzing sound had set up in his head. “Guys! Over here!” He felt weak, too weak to move. Couldn’t they hear him? Or see him?
A sudden beam of light pierced the darkness and he heard a voice yell, “There! He’s over there!” Footsteps came closer and he looked up. “Carter! He’s over here! Hey, buddy. It’s okay. We’re gonna get you out of here,” the voice said, and he caught enough of a glimpse to see a headful of blond hair. Sam.
“I’m … Look,” he said, turning his hand over.
“I NEED AN EMT OVER HERE STAT!” he heard Sam scream, but Carter couldn’t speak. He wanted to ask if he was going to be okay, if there was as much blood as he thought, but he couldn’t. All he could do was lie there in the dirt and a pool of his own blood and think about Sharla.
If only …
Chapter 10
Light pierced the darkness and Carter looked around. The blood was gone from his hand, and he sat up, banging his head on the crushed car above him. “Owww!” he muttered, rubbing the spot.
“Come on. Let me help you up,” a familiar voice said, and the hand that took his seemed made for it. When Carter looked up, it was into eyes he’
d known since childhood.
“Dad! You’re here!” He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. But where were all the other officers? “What’s going on? How did you get here?”
“We need to talk, son. I’ve been watching you. All you do is say, ‘if only, if only, if only.’ Carter Mason Melton, you can’t live your life that way.”
“That’s right, son,” another voice spoke, and he turned to find Grandpa Ronald standing there, Grandma Frances standing right behind him. “Your daddy knows what he’s talking about. Go back, Carter. Stop telling yourself ‘if only.’ All you have is today. Make it count.”
“But I want to stay here with you! Please? I don’t want to go back!”
His dad smiled. “What about Sharla and those two kids, Carter? They need you. We don’t. Go back, son, and stop looking behind you. Look forward … look forward … look forward …”
“BP’s eighty over fifty. We’ve got the bleeding stopped for now. ETA five minutes.”
“Roger that, Mercy three. Standing by.”
“Sheriff Melton? Sheriff Melton, can you hear me?”
Carter couldn’t figure out what was going on. “Ummmm …”
“Sheriff Melton, you’re in an ambulance heading to O’Fallon General. We’ll be there in just a few minutes.” A pair of kind eyes looked down into his. “We’ve got the bleeding stopped. I don’t know if you’ll need surgery or not, but you’re safe for now.”
“Uhhhh …” Carter managed before everything went dark.
When he saw light again, it was a giant, round thing. “We’re going to have to do some repairs. Get a surgical suite set up. Ten minutes to prep. Let’s go, people,” a voice said right beside him. He wanted to ask questions, wanted to know if Sharla was okay, but he was too weak to talk. There was a sensation that he knew was the release of the brakes on his gurney, and they wheeled him toward what he assumed was the operating room. But as they ran along, another face joined them.
“Carter, I’m here. We’re all here. Sharla’s fine. The kids are fine. You’re gonna be fine. We’ll all be waiting for you, buddy. It’s going to be okay.” That deep, Texas swagger washed over him and he knew Cruz would take care of everything.
They were okay. Sharla and the kids were out of danger. He didn’t know what would happen to him, but it didn’t matter as long as they were all right.
He could feel someone jostling his leg. It was okay―it wasn’t like it hurt―but it was annoying as hell. “Cut it out,” he mumbled.
“Hey! He’s coming around! Get a nurse! Carter? Hey, bud, it’s Cruz. Open your eyes.” Carter tried, but he couldn’t. “Come on. You’re a tough old dog. You can do it.” As soon as they fluttered open, Cruz smiled. “Welcome back to the world of the living!”
“Sharla …”
“Sam’s gone to get her. She’ll be here in just a second. She was walking your mom down to the car.”
“How …” He couldn’t get the words out. Then another face appeared.
“Hi, sir! How ya feelin’?”
Carter was confused. “Edwards?”
“Yes, sir. Everything’s under control at the office, sir. Lewis and Durst are taking care of everything.”
Carter looked from man to man just as Sam stepped into the room. The blond officer grinned at Carter and asked, “What?”
“How on earth did you find me?”
Cruz laughed. “We’ll let Edwards field that question. Deputy?”
“Sir, I lied.” Carter couldn’t understand. “You’re not the only one who can memorize numbers, sir. I can too. Pretty easily, in fact. Been doing it all my life.”
Carter didn’t get to say another word before he heard a voice shriek, “Carter!” In seconds, Sharla was on him, kissing his forehead, his cheeks, his eyelids, his lips, his chin. “Oh, my god, you’re awake!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Then he heard her sniffle and realized her face was coated with tears. “We thought we’d lost you, babe. Oh, god, don’t do something stupid like that again, please?”
“I’d only do something that stupid for you,” he assured her.
He got a stern glare back from that. “Why doesn’t that make me feel a bit better?”
“Weeeeee’ll just be out here, trying not to listen and laugh,” Sam announced, but it was too late. Cruz and Edwards were already laughing.
“Boy, is he in trou-ble,” Edwards was saying as they left.
“Sharla,” he started, then stopped.
“What, baby?”
“Sharla, I … I …”
“What is it, Carter?”
“I saw my dad, Sharla. My dad and my grandparents.”
Her face went pale. “Oh, god. No.”
“Yeah. They were there, in the scrap yard. And they told me to come back, and to not always be thinking ‘if only’ anymore. They told me to come back for you.” He couldn’t hold it back anymore―a lone tear trickled out the outer corner of one eye and down his cheek. “Sharla, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t spend time with you, I’m sorry I did this and almost wasn’t here for you, I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you safe like I promised, keep the kids safe like I promised, I’m sorry …”
“Shut up, Carter.”
“Huh?”
Sharla smiled down at him. “What did your dad and your grandparents tell you?”
He sighed. “No more ‘if only’.”
“Yeah. And you’re doing it again. This is over. It’s a new day. But I can tell you this.” She leaned down until her nose was almost touching his. “If you ever do something like this again, go off rogue by yourself, you won’t have to worry about the bad guys. When I catch up to you, I’ll kill you myself. Understand?” Then she kissed his forehead.
“Roger that.” He smiled up at her and wondered if he asked her to marry him, would she say yes.
But he’d wait until he could kneel for that one.
“Here ya go.” A drink, something fruity with an umbrella in it, appeared in front of his face.
“Seriously? A girly drink?”
Sharla laughed and shaded her eyes with her hand. “It’s got bourbon in it.”
“Ah, that’s more like it!” Carter took a sip first. Not bad. Then he took a bigger swallow.
Yanking the towel from the chaise lounge beside him, Sharla sat down and leaned back. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m good. They get off okay this morning?”
“Yeah. They were so excited.” Chelsea and Lionel had never gotten a chance to go to the big theme park when they were growing up, so Carter’s first act as their prospective stepdad was to make arrangements to take them. They’d argued with Sharla that she and Carter should come, but she told them to go on. Carter needed to rest and get back to his old self, and the two young people were more than old enough to entertain themselves in the theme park. “I hate to ask, but have you given that offer some thought?”
“I have.” As soon as he’d become stable, he’d gotten a visit from Jesse Talbert and Jesse’s boss, Harmon Peterson, with an offer of a position at KDCI. Carter had been surprised and flattered, and he really had been thinking about it. “And I know my answer.”
He made her wait until she finally cried out, “Oh, for god’s sake, Carter, what is it?”
“No.”
“No? But why? This would be great for you―for us! More money, better position―”
“You mean safer position, right?” Carter said and turned to stare into her eyes.
“Yeah, okay, safer position. Why wouldn’t you take it?”
He sat up, dropped his legs off the side of the lounge, and faced her. “Have you ever done something and known it was the exact right thing? Or been somewhere and known you were exactly where you were supposed to be at exactly the right time?”
He could see her deflate a little when she answered, “Yeah. I have.”
“That’s how I feel about being sheriff of Trigg County. Yeah, that KDCI position would be a safer position, and more
money. But the people of my county, they need me. They wouldn’t have elected me sheriff if they didn’t. And I love them, babe. Yeah, you guys are my family, but so are they. Those guys in my department? They’re my brothers. If I don’t get re-elected, then yeah―maybe it’s time for me to go. But right now, no. I can’t. Matter of fact, I don’t want to. I hope you’re okay with that.”
“I guess I’m moving to Trigg County, right?” she asked and winked.
“I guess you are.” She had no idea he’d been looking at a bigger house and had already bought a ring. That was on a need-to-know basis and right that minute, she didn’t need to know. They were in Kentucky, so it didn’t matter how old her daughter and her nephew were. He could still adopt them, and if being his children was what they wanted, he had every intention of doing just that.
Carter Melton loved his job. He loved Sharla, he loved the kids she brought to him, and he loved the guys he worked with. He loved his mom too.
And he loved the food at the resort, but some of Wilda Fern’s chicken ‘n dumplins sure would’ve been good right that minute.
About the author …
Deanndra Hall is a working author living in the far western end of the beautiful Bluegrass State with her husband of over 35 years and small menagerie of weird little dogs. When she’s not writing, she’s editing. When she’s doing neither of those two things, she’s having dinner with friends, spending time with family, kayaking, eating chocolate, drinking beer or moonshine, or looking for something that she put in the wrong place and can’t seem to find (which is pretty much everything she owns).
On the Web: www.deanndrahall.com
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: facebook.com/deanndra.hall
Twitter: twitter.com/DeanndraHall
Goodreads: goodreads.com/DeanndraHall
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