Authors: Kathi S. Barton
He’s my mate.
Lauren said nothing. She was thrilled to death for them both, but she also knew that Tony had told her that he’d never love again.
I haven’t told him as yet. I might not. You know that of late I’ve had the feeling that I’ve had enough of this world. Ending my life at this moment in time would not be that bad. I found him. If he rejects me then there is nothing lost.
For him there would be
. Victoria told her that he’d never know.
I think he would, if he doesn’t already. His cat, his tiger, he would have recognized you, right?
I suppose. But I think he was so…grateful for my assistance that he forgot that part. I know I sort of did when he became so…manly with me.
Lauren laughed.
Well, you did tell me that you wanted no details. He is a hell of a man. Seen to me before he—
Enough.
Victoria laughed again.
When you went to see him, what did he say? I’m assuming because he’s here that he took it all right?
He had something on his desk when I arrived, and I’m betting it’s the stuff you said you were going to share with him. Then a man, dressed in more medals than he had brains—Williams, his badge said—came in and spoke to him. I could read his mind. He is not a good man.
Lauren told her that he wasn’t.
The phones in Tony’s office have been tapped. Computers are shadowed. I know the meaning of that now, so that’s not a good thing either. This Williams person, he was there to make sure that Tony didn’t figure it out. I guess the computers were acting up and he wanted to make sure that the guy out front called the right people, and Tony was in his office when this Williams person did it. I think Tony knows that he’s being watched there as well.
It’s why we met him here. I’m sure that his office at home is monitored as well. They want to keep him out of the loop, and in order to do that, they have to make sure that he doesn’t figure shit out. Why is the question. Other than him telling on them, what else could there be? I think they’re going to dump this in his lap and stand by while he takes the fall. It’s what I would do if I was that much of a shithead.
Victoria asked if she wanted her to go and see his home.
That would be great. I was trying to figure out how to send someone there without alerting them about it. You know what to look for, right? The hum should alert you as to where they will be.
I’ll go now. I can keep in the shadows of his home and see what I can find. We’re having dinner tonight and playing some chess, as well as other things.
Lauren said she didn’t want to know.
I’ll let you know about the other though. As soon as I know, you will.
When her connection closed, Lauren moved toward the bench where she’d been sitting waiting on Tony. He was going to be hurt by this. He had a great deal of respect for the office of presidency, not to mention the man was true blue all the way through his body. But things had to be put out in the open. Otherwise more people would be hurt and things would fall apart more than they were now.
“How did it go?” Colin sat beside her and leaned back on the bench. She was still dressed as an older women, and she nearly laughed out loud when she glanced over at him. He was dressed similarly, but as a man not a female. “Hawkins said that he didn’t think anyone recognized you, by the way. He said that he almost didn’t.”
“No, I don’t think so either. But Tony is pretty upset. He’s going to be more so when he gets finished talking with your brother.” She stood up and moved slowly. “Would you take an old woman to lunch?”
“I would love to. I have to go by my office in a little while. There are a few matters I have to look into that I sort of have been putting off. I’m sure that you have things to do as well.” She told him that she did. “I wish I could do more to help you. I know that I’d be in the way, but I would like to help.”
“Just don’t let anyone take you.” He asked her what she meant. “I don’t know. But when the shit hits the fan, they’re going to go to desperate measures to get back at us. Hawkins can care for himself, and he’s moved back to your parents’ house to care for them as well as Dustin. There are men that served under me at other times watching over the others. A nurse has been planted in Boyd’s office. Two experts have been put on Parker’s farm as hands. Larson has a new secretary that is also a sniper. You’re with me.”
“I am.” She looked at him. “I can shoot, but not well. I do have this amazing cat that can tear into a person, but sadly, he cannot outrun a bullet. He’s a mean fucker, but not infallible.”
They walked to the deli across from the park. She was just ready to pull off the hat and wig when she saw Williams walk in with two men that she didn’t know. As they took the table next to hers, she reached out and grabbed Colin’s hand when he reached for his own hat. Quietly, she told him to listen.
The men were brought their waters and then after they ordered, Williams started talking in a low tone. Lucky for her, she was able to hear him now, and pulled out a pen to make short notes. Williams didn’t seem to have any idea that she was there, and for that she was grateful.
“I’m telling you right now, if that bitch doesn’t die this time, I’m going to go and find her and shoot her myself.” The two men with him laughed. “Can you imagine the play we can have on this once she and that other bastard are dead? An American hero is dead, the president did all he could to keep her safe, but the powers that be, they just didn’t see it his way. We’d already have it if she didn’t seem to have nine fucking lives. Three times over there she got out scot-free, and now we’re going to have to take care of her here. I’m telling you right now, that woman is going to pay for this shit she’s put us through.”
Lauren tried to think what they were talking about. Yes, the last time for sure, but two other times they’d tried to have her killed? She almost missed what one of the other men was saying when she tried to think.
“The houses are all being watched. Phillips, he’s got a tail on him too. Gotta find us a runner to keep up with his ass now that he’s decided to be some sort of fitness buff. Fucking idiot. All the good health in the world won’t keep us from killing him. But he isn’t meeting anyone that we can tell. Oh, and that fucking bastard, Wingate, he’s whining again, though I have no idea what he has to bitch about. As soon as Irwin is back in that office and I’m vice president, things are gonna change. We’re going to start up a war that’ll keep us in money for decades with all the kickbacks from that. Cause we all know that war time is the best time.” Williams laughed loudly. “I’m going to take great pleasure in killing Wingate when the time comes.”
She looked at Colin when he told her that he’d ordered. The thought of food was going to make her sick right now. These people were insane.
We have to look like we’re not doing anything but having lunch.
Colin nodded to the table and she saw his phone.
I’m pretty sure that it’ll pick up what they’re saying. If not, you have your notes. Just pretend that you’re having a nice time.
They mean to kill the VP and then put the country into war. That won’t be good for anyone but…but them. Oh Colin, this is worse than we thought.
He nodded.
Do you know what that’ll do to the…well, everything? It is good to know that he’s not in on it. But why kill him? Christ, this is just getting worse and worse all the fucking time.
I have faith that you’ll take care that it doesn’t happen
. She was glad someone did.
Just do what you can now and we’ll work it out later.
The rest of their conversation was about how they were going to need to get more funding the legal way. One of the men left shortly after their food was brought and they ate it. He’d not said much…very little, as a matter of fact. The other man—his first name was Butch—was apparently expecting some major kickbacks for his part in all this, and Williams confirmed it. After about another hour of drinking several beers for their lunch, the two of them parted. Hawkins joined Lauren and Colin in the parking lot a few minutes after their sandwiches were wrapped to go and they left the deli.
Chapter 8
Hawkins listened to the recording again. It was hard to hear all of what was being said, but he got most of it. Dustin said he could clean it up a bit, but Hawkins wanted to hear it right now and hadn’t let him take it.
“Do you think they know that you were there and wanted you to think this was going on?” He only stared at his dad. “Well, I’m sorry if I want to think that this doesn’t go on in real life. These people are talking like it’s okay to kill and get away with it. I’m not okay with it, just so you know.”
“It does go on all the time, Dad, I’m sorry to say.” Hawkins had told his mom and dad what he was doing there when they’d caught him hiding guns all over the place. He’d been surprised when they’d both asked to have a lesson or two on how to use them, and every afternoon since he’d been there he’d taken them out for some target practice. His mom was getting pretty good at it, but his dad could have been a marksman. “Dad, do you think it would be possible to get someone to roam the property a few times a day? I mean, I have a feeling, like Lauren said, they’re going to get desperate soon, and we can’t have them taking any of you. I worry about you guys going to those houses without me there to watch you.”
“I’d rather you were here with your mom. And she said she is not going to help.” His dad laughed. “I’m worried that she’ll know a great deal more about flipping than Dustin and I do. She’s pretty smart, your mother.”
“I am at that. What did I do now that has you singing my phrases?” Hawkins told her what they’d been talking about. “Oh yes, I would have some ideas, especially in the outside area. I think you’re not putting in enough space in some of backyards. I’d really like to see some trees closer to the house as well. Then there are the bathrooms. Do you have any idea how nice it would be to have a lovely linen closet in every bath? No more of you walking in the hall buck naked looking for a towel that you never seem to remember to before you shower.”
Hawkins left them to their argument and went into the office. He wanted to listen to the recording one more time. Before he could get to it, however, Lauren came into the office and he stood up. It was never going to be out of his head that she was his superior no matter how many times she told him to stop it.
“What did you find out from Tony? And how well did he take what you had to say to him?” He sat down when she did and she growled at him. “This is never going to work if you keep doing that. We’re family now. You don’t have to stand when I’m in the room. Now, what did you find out?”
“He isn’t involved, as you had already guessed. I felt sort of bad for him when I told him why you thought the president was involved. I think he’s taking that on himself.” She asked him why. “I guess he thought that since he brought you to his attention, then he’s the one to blame.”
“He’s so full of shit. And had he not done that, the president’s family would be dead now and the voters wouldn’t have known what a shit fuck he is.” True, but he doubted that Tony saw it that way. “They’re going to try and kill me again. You too, for the sympathy vote. I think Irwin figures that the country will come to their knees when they find out we’re dead after making it back here in one…well, sort of one piece.”
Hawkins had a feeling that Lauren didn’t have as much confidence in herself as she projected on the ground when they were at work. They all had looked up to her for answers, and she’d had them. They rarely didn’t work out the way she said, and when they didn’t, she asked for their input on how to make it better. She was one hell of a commanding officer, and he’d serve under her for the rest of his life if it was possible. He glanced over at his brother’s phone and wondered about a couple of things.
“There’s something I wanted to talk to you about. This thing, this conversation between this Butch person and Williams. What does he mean by trying to kill you off before? I can understand the time in the hospital, but he said three times overseas. One is where they nearly succeeded, but I don’t know the other two. Do you know?” She got up to pace and it was all he could do to remain seated. When she stood, he did too; when she sat, so did he. But she was too busy to notice how nervous he was about his inability to be a soldier to her commanding officer. “I’ve been listening to this thing over and over, and he does say three times. So two if you count the last time.”
“Six months before the blow up, remember when we were in that little hotel in Africa? It was down time, they told us. We were so surprised that the order came through that we nearly killed one another to get there. We’d been there about two hours when the water to the hotel was cut off. I don’t know if we ever found out what happened, but they moved us to that little house just outside the city.”
He remembered. “The hotel blew up. Something about a gas leak.” She nodded. “You think that was one of them? They were going to kill us that way?”
“I honestly don’t know, but that’s one of the times I can think of. I remember now, the hotel guy, he said that he’d been working in the sublevels on something and he was sure he’d cut the line. I believed him and still do. It was just our good fortune that it happened like it did and we were moved. Not so much for his family, but we were out and seemingly safe. For a time anyway.”
Hawkins made a note. That left the one. He tried to go back over the last year or so. Things were always happening at some point. A sniper would try to take them out, a truck would run into a building where they were. It was war, shit happened. Then he sat up in his chair.
“The diner. Holy shit, it was the diner.” She asked him what he meant. “We’d been in that little town…shit, I don’t know the name of it, but this kid came around, remember? He gave us an invite to his parents’ diner. Said something like he was a good American, or something like that. Anyway, we were invited to come and eat for free. You said no, but a few of the others went anyway. They were hankering for a meal that didn’t come out of a bag and decided to go along anyway.”