Presidential Cleaning

Chapter 1

The day they took my wife was the day they signed their death certificate. My friends would tell you that I’m an average guy. Average height. Average looks. Averagely short hair and average brown eyes. However, what they wouldn’t tell you is that I worked for a part of the government that no man, woman or child knew existed. They wouldn’t be able to divulge this information because to them, Joe was just average- the average Joe.

It’s been two weeks and five days since I walked into my apartment to see that not only had the place been ransacked, but the lady who waited patiently with a warm smile and a big heart wasn’t sitting in her regular position on the sofa. ‘Honey,’ she’d say, ‘brighten up that smile.’ And because she wasn’t there to remind me that the corners of my mouth were meant to face upward, I forgot. Two weeks and five days is how long I’ve been wearing this frown. Two weeks and five days’ worth of wrath is what they’d be feeling. ‘Our paths will cross,’ I had warned them when they called to rub their dirty deeds in my face. Information is what they sought. Information that didn’t belong to them. If there was anything I knew, it was how to keep my mouth shut and my promises secured. Knowing that my heart would bleed for no one but my wife, they decided to tackle me where it really hurt. I’d been trained not to feel pain; to live an emotionless life. I knew very well what it felt like to watch a man die but what I didn’t know was how to feel for a dying man. My wife, she was different. She’d caused me to break each and every rule that I’d made for myself. Most importantly, she’d allowed me to forget that caring was the biggest downfall a man could ever have. And there it was, the bleeding of a heart I forgot I had; the watering of eyes that shouldn’t know how to cry. They had figured out my weakness and they ensured that each and every breath I took was one I took without her.

I pressed my ear tightly against the phone, not trying to hear the voice that streamed through it, but instead, hoping for a sign that would lead me into the direction of them.

‘Give us our guy, and we’ll give you your girl,’ he said in a tone that didn’t hide how victorious he felt.

He waited for me to reply, but I had nothing to say. Listen. Observe. Decipher. I glanced over at my computer which had stopped searching and instead, presented rather clear coordinates on the screen. I had the tower that his cellphone pinged from and just when I thought I’d have to go from door to door in order to find these bastards, another sign presented itself. The noise that lasted for a few seconds could be nothing but a train whizzing past. All the while he was rambling on about how powerful ‘they’ were. He couldn’t use his miniscule brain to come to the conclusion that a guy like me had bigger and better things to do and hearing him out wasn’t one of them.

‘Joe Chandler,’ his obnoxious voice came again, ‘I think it’s about time you start talking. If you’re ever going to see…’

I hung up. There was work to be done. The first course of action was to figure out just how many of these imbeciles I’d have to take down. I headed to the backroom of my averagely average three bedroom apartment, unveiling the door to walls that bore a striking resemblance to a police investigation board except more meticulous. My motivation to keep going; to never give up came from a thirteen by eighteen photograph of my beautiful Lila. Her long brown hair draped over her shoulders. Her face complete with a twinkle in her subtle brown eyes and her smile as refreshing as the morning wind. I glanced at the photograph for what seemed like forever before making my way to the board that was plastered with pictures of the day they trashed my home.

I’d collected four sets of footprints, which meant there were at least four people stomping through my apartment that day. A getaway vehicle had more than likely been waiting for them somewhere along the usually quiet streets of Bathesda. One neighbor claimed a dark SUV with blacked out windows was parked out front. Another believed she had seen a blue car with two suspicious guys driving around the neighborhood- an unlikely option, as they’d been professional enough to drag my wife out of our home with no one seeing them. I came to the conclusion that a minimum of six guys is what I’d need to prep for.

But then, there was something else that required my consideration. I’d refrained from checking the DNA on a splatter of blood found on a chipped tooth I’d collected from in the midst of shattered glass from our wine cabinet. Initially, there was no doubt in my mind that it had come from my wife except, observing my wife’s photograph showed me that the white’s I’d found weren’t as pearly as they needed to be to come from her. This brought me to seven. A bare minimum of seven intruders.

For a while, I contemplated turning this piece of evidence into to the haphazard DC police. However, I shied away from the idea, knowing that their incompetence would irk my nerves once again. Did I really need the DNA? Putting a face to a man or woman I knew I’d have the chance to revenge wouldn’t make a difference. All the information I needed was tucked inside that shady warehouse that the phone call was made from; the shady warehouse that I’d be gracing with my presence sooner than later.

Chapter 2

The chilly DC air was bearable in a T-Shirt only due to the adrenaline that coated my entire body. I waited impatiently, a considerable distance away from the broken down warehouse, tapping my jittering fingers on the steering wheel as I ran through the plan in my head. Them not expecting me didn’t mean they weren’t prepared for a threat. I needed to condition myself to think about them first and my wife later. Success was based on rapid elimination of the threat, preventing those within close proximity from reacting fast enough to make me their prey. Had it crossed my mind that the ease with which I found them was all a setup? Absolutely. The fact that these guys had the balls to make me their enemy meant one of two things- either they were really smart or really dumb. Smart, in that they were adequately prepared to deal with the threat I posed; dumb because they had no idea what I was capable of.

I parked my car two blocks away from the warehouse location and checked my surroundings a few times to ascertain that I hadn’t been spotted by anyone who could send alarm bells ringing in the building. Once I’d determined that all was clear, it was time for them to learn who Joe Chandler really was. I headed to the north side of the building. My palm was tightly pressed against the grip of my Colt Forty-Five, the metal introducing a new singe of cold. My index finger was set on the trigger, ready to destroy any and everyone who tried to prevent me from accomplishing my goal. Steady and quickly, I slithered my way around the building, spotting the first of the men I needed to eliminate. The silencer, securely attached to the muzzle of my gun ensured that the sound let off-when the bullet traveled through the barrel and into the first victim of my wrath’s head- were muffled enough to prevent the great deal of chaos that a louder sound would bring. Surely, those on the inside would hear a noise, but pinpointing the blast would come with its difficulties. Victim two received one to the chest. His body twitched and contorted as he struggled to catch his last breath. Over their lifeless figures I stepped, and into the pool of blood that streamed from their bodies. I’d leave my bloody footprints along the way, ascertaining that those who came after could get a glimpse of what it was like to walk in my shoes.

The heavy metal door creaked as I pushed it open with ease. In order to refrain from raising an alarm, I carefully guided it close. The pungent smell of concrete was only outdone by the smell of sweat that oozed from each segment of the building. They’d been there for a while. They felt at home. That wasn’t the first mistake they made, but it surely would be their last. I felt as though my home was my safe haven and they ensured that I knew just how amateur it was to feel safe in a world glazed with evil.

‘Luis,’ number three said his last word thanks to the rapidness of my fingers on the trigger. I made my way toward him, making sure that the last image he had in his head was one of me smiling at his misfortune. This seemed to pump a fresh wave of adrenaline through his veins. His eyes widened the way my smile widened when I watched him accept that it was over.

Footsteps told me that the leisurely way in which I’d been taking them down was about to come to an end. I could hear three of them, charging in my direction, undoubtedly certain that something was off.

‘Fuck,’ toned a voice that I was pleased to hear. My bullet went straight through number four’s eye and the guy behind him had an only normal reaction considering his face wore the blood of the man who once stood before him. ‘Fuck,’ he repeated.

I slid my way into a corner, protecting myself from the shots that whizzed my way. I wouldn’t take him out- not just yet- but the guy behind him would be the recipient of three rounds, one to the head, and two to the chest. And thus, number five was down.

The guy whose voice saved his life spoke again. He was the one who I’d spoken with on the phone. He had the information I was looking for. ‘How did you find us?’ he asked breathlessly. Still keeping his hands on his gun and his eyes on me.

Goons. That’s what they were. Disposable goons who weren’t worth protecting with an arm or a leg.

‘Where is she?’ I replied. My eyes were kept peered to ensure that I spotted any threats that decided it was prime to present themselves.

‘You’ll never find her.’ His tone held an air of mockery. Even with the men who’d dropped like flies right before his eyes, he doubted me.

He raised his hand, taking aim, but suddenly lost his grip as a bullet slipped through the barrel of my gun and found itself tangled in the flesh of his arm. I quickly made my way to him, tuning out the wails that he released.

‘I’m not going to kill you,’ I ensured him.

His eyes gave the thanks that his mouth was unable to speak.

‘Don’t thank me just yet,’ I warned Mr. Loudmouth.

I gripped him by his bloody and pain ridden arm, grabbed his gun and tucked it into the waist of my pants. He groaned even louder as my fingers dug deeper into his open wound. I could feel the bullet and the demon in me ensured that his pain didn’t subside. Dragging him along, I made my way into a tiny room- the only one along the way that showed a glimmer of life. The shallow breathing that was evident upon entry told me I wasn’t alone. I drew back, waiting for the footsteps to approach and when they did, my gun took care of the rest. Again, there was a new gun to be claimed. As I made my way closer to number six, I realized that he still had the slightest bit of life for me to take. With one arm wrapped around Mr. Loudmouth’s body, I re-gripped my gun and fired a few more rounds into number six’s head.

‘Okay,’ I sighed. ‘Now that that’s been settled. Is there anyone else I need to be aware of?’

Loudmouth didn’t answer. Instead, he tried to wiggle his way out of my grasp.

‘Is there anyone else I need to be aware of,’ I repeated in a tone that made him know that the truth was the only right answer.

‘No,’ he shook his head from side to side- his face wearing the pain he felt in his arm.

‘Good. So, Loudmouth. Where’s my wife?’

‘The name’s Locke. Sami Locke.’

‘Where the fuck is my wife,’ I yelled directly into his ear.

‘Bring us Derrick Shaw and you’ll get your wife’

For the first time since my wife was taken, I was caught off guard. Derrick Shaw?

‘Derrick Shaw.’ I repeated, my head tightening at the sound of his name.

Chapter 3

I knew the name. I knew the name Derrick Shaw more than I wanted to or was willing to admit. Derrick Shaw was one of the president’s many secrets. A secret that I kept well. A secret that a select few men of NW45- the government agency I once called home- knew about. Who they were asking for was a man who deserved more than what he’d be receiving. The Indianapolis bombings, the Phoenix bombings, the Denver bombings- they were all his work of art.

I didn’t have time to wonder how I hadn’t heard them say the name Derrick Shaw before. Up until that moment, he’d only been ‘our guy’ as though I should know just who these guys were in search of. Back then, when they were barking commands down my phone, I didn’t care who they wanted. The only things I needed were to know where they were and to develop a sure fire plan to serve them their revenge and get my wife back.  I wasn’t in the game of being bribed by the enemy. I came to kill and I came to conquer. Whatever it was that they wanted. They needed to find someone else- someone weaker- to assist.

‘I’m not here to make a deal, Loudmouth.’ I tried hard to will my voice back after the name Derrick Shaw had so elegantly whisked it away. ‘Where do you keep her?’

I was in no mood to go scavenging through all ten-thousand square feet of the warehouse. I needed a precise location and though Loudmouth wasn’t initially aware that he’d give it to me, he soon realized that my requests weren’t to be taken lightly.

‘Sami or Locke,’ his toothy grin teased my fist to plant itself upon his mouth. I felt as they shattered upon impact, slightly grazing the tough skin on my hands.

Some might have said that ridding this fine gentleman of his teeth was a bad idea. I might have agreed if I didn’t find his less than toothy grin more appealing than the one he’d been flashing ever since he came to terms with the fact that killing him wasn’t on my agenda- at least not yet. He covered his mouth, interrupting the steady flow of blood that had previously been streaming through it.

‘If you’re not going to give me what I want, I’m just going to have to take it from you. Is that something you think you can handle?’

‘How much fun would this be if I just gave you all the answers right off the bat?’ With each word that escaped his mouth, a splatter of bloody saliva came flying in my direction. He was brave. A bit too brave. Men like this were used to being beaten upon. I knew then, that there was no way he was the one in charge. I knew that he was just a pawn in a spiel ten times bigger than he was. But if he knew where Lila was being held, then by the time I was through with him, I would know too.

I ignored his question. Having warned him that not speaking was one of the worst things he could do, it was time to show him just how true I stayed to my word. Sure, I could have gone around the building in search of Lila. I could have left this man to pick up the pieces of teeth that were scattered before him, but he hadn’t learned his lesson just yet. He and whoever was in charge, needed to know just how little a man like me cared about the screams of my enemy.

I looked around the room, in search of tools that would make our time together more enjoyable for me and more excruciating for him. On a table to my right, I spotted just the things I needed to ensure that Mr. Loudmouth didn’t wiggle away while I was getting things prepared.

‘Duct tape,’ I exclaimed.

He knew just what I had planned. I wound the tape around the upper half of his body, assuring that his bullet wound received the adequate degree of pressure it needed to shoot a new round of pain through his arm each time he moved.

‘Aah,’ he moaned, searching my eyes for a glimmer of compassion.

The table in this room was like a playground filled with sand toys that had my name written all over them. There were knives and needles, plyers and rope- all the things a man needed to introduce his enemies to insurmountable fun.

‘Get in that chair,’ I pointed to a lone metal chair that stood within close proximity to a dirty metal sink.

‘Come on man. What are you planning on doing?’ There was no hiding the fear in his voice. This was no longer the shoot and be shot game he was used to and he’d realized it.

‘I’ve got a knife in my hand, what could I possibly be doing with a knife?’ I whirled the shiny object around.

‘You’re a sick fuck, you know that?’

‘The problem isn’t me understanding how sick I am. The problem is that you bastards didn’t understand. When I told you that I wasn’t to be fucked with, you didn’t understand. When I asked you where my wife was, you didn’t feel like answering. You wanted to play. So now you’re getting what you want. Except, we’ll be playing by my rules. And if you should know anything about me, it’s that I don’t play fair. I play dirty. Do you like to play dirty, Loudmouth?’

He shook his head frantically. Closing his eyes as though willing me to disappear. In front of him I stood, gliding the rusty blade of the knife along his arms, pressing lightly at first and then hard enough to graze the surface of his skin. His eyes tried hard to stay shut as he anticipated the pain that was to come.

‘Nope,’ I smirked. ‘You’re safe.’

He slowly allowed his eyelids to expose his crystal blue irises. A loud breath of relief followed soon after. I could see the tears trying hard not to fall from his scared eyes and that made me want to hurt him even more. Who was he to try to play on sympathy that I didn’t have? His tears, whether forced or natural, felt like mockery. I turned away, not saying a word. Did he really believe that putting on a puppy dog face would allow me to forget the way he gloated over the phone? Did he truly believe that I’d forgive him for prying my wife out of our apartment?

‘I’m gonna set your hands free in a minute, so just sit back and relax while I take care of a few things.’

I could feel his eyes piercing my back as he watched me lift his friend’s lifeless body from the ground and hoist him up onto the table. Rigor mortis hadn’t yet set in as he’d been dead for less than an hour. I retrieved the rope, hopped on top of the table, pushing the body with my feet to ensure that I was properly grounded. With one swing, I got the rope around the metal pipes that lined the ceiling.

‘Oh my god,’ Loudmouth exclaimed, his voice trembling with each word that escaped him. ‘You’re… You’re… You’re not gonna hang me or anything, are you?’

I observed his face for a few seconds before answering, ecstatic that he’d finally been filled with a new round of fear.

‘No,’ I answered, letting him off much more easily than I should. Again, a shadow of relief swept across his face only to be wiped away when I said, ‘hanging would be too humane.’

His eyes assumed their closed position and under his breath he whispered what sounded like a soft prayer. Unfortunately, men like these didn’t realize that even if there were a God, he had shut his ears to their cries a long time ago. Yes, he’d shut his ears to people like me too. Though the cruel things I’d done in the past were often written off as ‘for the greater good,’ they were unforgivable by the man in the skies and frightening to the man down below.

A slipknot secured the rope around the dead guy’s ankle while an open end dangled from the pipes above.

‘What’s his name?’ I turned to Loudmouth who still had his eyes shut and mouth moving.

‘Charles,’ he replied, refusing to pry his eyes open.

‘Okay, Loudmouth. I’m going to need some help with Charles, so whatever it is that you’ve got going on over there, you ought to suck it up ‘cuz we’ve got work to do. Understand?’

His head nodded hesitantly and it was easy to determine that he wanted no part in what was about to happen. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t have a choice.

I jumped off the table, landing only a few feet in front of him. ‘Buck up,’ I said, as I skated the knife down his arm and over the duct tape. His body tensed as the roughness of the blade made contact with his skin.

Slowly, he rose to his feet, and headed to the direction in which I pointed. ‘The straws. Hand me the straws,’ I demanded.

‘Straws, what the hell do you need straws for?’

I flashed him a look that prompted him to do as he was told. ‘I’d say you weren’t in the position to ask questions. Wouldn’t you agree?’

‘Come on man. It’s all not that serious. Just give them what they want and you’ll get your wife back.’

‘Really?’ I snapped. My voice filled with anger as he tried to downplay the situation. ‘You break into my home and take my wife and try to tell me that it’s all not that serious. Let me tell you something you little fuck, I’m one of the guys you don’t fuck with. I’ve done things to people that shouldn’t be possible. I’m still haunting the dreams of the men who live to tell their tales. When I warned you on the phone, you thought it was all some kind of joke. You thought that your boss could protect you; that he was greater than great. But let me tell you something, I’m the kind of enemy the devil is afraid of and unfortunately for you, I’m an enemy that you have. So when I don’t ask a question, there’s no need for you to speak. And when do ask a question, it needs to be answered rapidly.’ I wasn’t sure if the constant nodding of his head was a way to tune me out or if he’d completely lost control of the trembling sensations that my words brought upon him. ‘Now,’ I continued, ‘you’re going to stand here like a good boy and keep your eyes open. You need to see this. You need to see this so that you can tell your boss just what he has waiting for him.’

I lost myself in the job I was performing, inserting the knife into the raw flesh of the body that lay before me. My hands didn’t shake, my feet didn’t tremble. Into the carotid artery and then into the jugular artery slid my knife, creating incisions large enough to allow the straws to slip in with ease.

‘Pull,’ I instructed Loudmouth who was holding onto the rope as though it were a line of hope. He followed my command. Blood seeped from the dead man into the bucket placed below him. I made my way over to him, took hold of the rope, knotted and secured it so that it could carry the weight attached to it. But then, her voice trickled into my thoughts and I could feel the disappointment she would have; the disgust she would feel, watching me perform a task as inhumane as could be. I tried to shut them out, to push the thoughts of her to the back of my mind- I failed.

My eyes searched the room for Loudmouth who was bent over in the corner, relieving himself of breakfast, lunch and dinner. For the first time in forever, I pitied a man. It wasn’t that I felt sorry for the things I did, but somehow, his weakness, his fear, they all poked at a soft spot in my rock hard heart.

‘You know,’ I said, my voice calmer than he’d ever heard it. ‘I was going to have you cut your friend down, tie the rope around you own ankles and bleed the answers out of you, but somehow, a part of me won’t allow that. So, before I change my mind, I think it would be wise for you to answer my questions. Where. Is. My. Wife?’

‘I don’t know where she is,’ he moaned, wiping the mess from his face. ‘He had us take her and bring her here and not long after he picked her up. I swear to you, I have no idea where they took her. He told us not to call you until he’d left. He left a paper with what to say. The questions to ask. The demands to make. ’ His eyes searched my face, perhaps to see if I doubted him.

‘Who is he?’ I asked dryly.

His answer came fast. ‘Peterman. Harry Peterman. He’s the one in charge of all this. He’s Derrick Shaw’s brother. It’s not something everyone knows but I heard him talking on his phone and he referred to Shaw as his brother.’

‘Derrick’s brother, but they have different…’

‘Yeah, their last names are different because they haven’t got the same dad. At least that’s what one of the other guys said. Charles, the one you strung up. He knew a lot more than me. He’d been working with Harry for years now.’

‘But they detained Derrick Shaw’s entire family.’

‘His foster parents. They took his foster family. The cops weren’t able to make the connection between Peterman and Derrick because no one knew they had anything to do with each other. They only met a few years ago and kept their plans on the down low.’

It all made sense to me. I’d been the one to bring Derrick to his cell; a cell where criminals like him-criminals who became the president’s secret-were kept. Though rugged and filled with a lack of care for the world and the people in it, he didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who could conjure up a crime like the ones he was found guilty of. Sure, carrying it out was easy. All he needed to do was drop off a backpack, but the actually making the bomb; the coordination, they weren’t up his alley. He wasn’t smart enough, grounded enough of resourceful enough.

‘Call your boss and tell him I want my wife back,’ I said before turning my back to him and heading out the door. ‘Oh, and by the way, leave your friend hanging there and tell your boss that when I get my hands on him, I’ll be a lot more creative.’

Chapter 4

I had people; dark and dirty people. Ones who loved the smell of fresh blood and the sound of a heart taking its last beat. However, making contact with these men would mean buying back into something that I’d done everything-short of selling my soul- to get out of. Though tying a dead man upside down wasn’t something that should have made its way into my present- I did it for me- I did it for my wife. Contacting these men would mean that I owed them; that when they needed my help, saying ‘no’ wouldn’t be an option. That’s how things worked in our world. The men I could call were the ones I’d saved and thus, the ones who owed me- no questions asked. But was I ready to put myself into the position where-having had them help rescue my wife- I could be called at ghastly hours of the night to perform the unmentionable. Night after night, I told myself that the life I left wasn’t the one I needed to get back into. I could save my wife alone. I had the skills, the courage, the drive- but these men, they had the resources. A one man army wasn’t ideal when I had no idea what the situation ahead looked like.

I hated these men- Derrick Shaw, Harry Peterman, Loudmouth and numbers one through six- for reminding me of who I was; for bringing a past I’d moved on from back into my future. And though I wanted badly to tackle them on my own- to claim each and every life that had something to do with the disappearance of Lila- I knew that storming into the building where she was being kept and blasting through head after head was something she wouldn’t be able to forgive me for.  There would be no hiding things from her, as she’d have to walk through the building and past each body that I was responsible for relieving of its soul.

In the bathroom, I splashed a handful of cold water over my face. The four years that I’d been with Lila, had brought back a sense of life in my eyes. But as I looked at them, I realized that a cloud had replaced any twinkle that being with Lila might have given them. I was a killer. I had the eyes of a killer. My hands- like a killer’s- wore the pungent scent of blood. My former captain’s words resonated in my ears, ‘people like us, we’ll always be dead inside.’ Up until the time that I met Lila, I’d believed him. But Lila, she was easy to love. She made a human out of me. I’d tried so hard to be better. Only to have any progress I’d made of bringing life to a soul that most probably didn’t exist, fizzle away within the blink of an eye. I wanted to do better. For Lila’s sake, I needed to do better. I couldn’t continue to leave a trail of corpses wherever I went. However, each plan that came to my mind was one that involved a handful of people sealing their fate six feet under.

The clock was ticking. Though I knew that killing Lila wasn’t on their agenda, I couldn’t stand the thought of her being with those bastards any longer. I had to make a move, but no matter how hard I tried to come up with a plan, I couldn’t seem to find one that didn’t include death.

I turned off the tap, refrained from staring into the darkness of my eyes and opted for a shower. The cold water beat across my back with fury, mimicking the way I felt. Relaxation was hard to come by and even if it weren’t, I wouldn’t allow myself to find any form of release from the tangles my heart were in. Doing so, would be betraying Lila. Each moment that I thought about something other than rescuing her, I was failing her. This was all my fault. The moment that I decided to open my big mouth and engage in a conversation she was persistent to have, I had failed her. The moment I allowed her to fall in love with me and myself to return those feelings, I had failed her. She could have just been that girl I’d met once. The girl who could have changed me. But no, her soft, welcoming smile and her perseverance made her so much more. The men of NW45 weren’t meant to feel. They weren’t meant to settle down, to get married, to dream of a happily ever after. But Lila ensured that I forgot where I came from. The way she insisted that she wanted to know nothing about my past prompted me to forget about it. And so, I allowed myself to be loved by her; to feel comfortable in her presence. Because of that, I forgot. I forgot that the information I possessed would eventually come back to haunt me.

The sound of my phone ringing interrupted my shower. I hurried out of the bathroom, snatching a towel and wrapping it around my waist before sprinting to the living room. I was just in time to take the call. A blocked number. I slid my finger across my phone, in the direction of the green bar, but refrained from saying anything when the other voice came through. My computer booted up quickly, and began to search for coordinates.

‘So,’ came a rusty and untamed voice. ‘I saw your…’ I could almost hear him searching for the right words, ‘work of art.’

I didn’t reply.

‘I’ve got to say a big congratulations to you, Mr. Chandler. Not for killing my guys, but for the manner in which you took care of Charles. I must tell you, I haven’t seen anything quite like it. I’ve known many killers, but you, you’ve got a talent. A real talent.’

‘I’m not sure if I’m supposed to say thank you,’ I replied harshly.

‘No. You see, I think I’m the one who needs to thank you. Those guys you killed. Well, let’s just say you made my job a slight bit easier. I don’t usually keep them around that long. Guys like those, they’re talkers… rats. You poke them too hard and they squeak.’

‘Where’s my wife?’ I looked over at my laptop to see that it was still searching hard for a GPS location- but still, nothing concrete was presented.

‘Where’s Derrick Shaw?’ he shot back.

‘Where’s my wife?’ I repeated.

Harry cleared his throat and then went on to introduce me to a monologue. ‘The longer you sit there and do nothing, is the longer your wife has to see my ugly face staring back at her. I know that it’s hard for people like you, with all your training and shit, to divulge information. But you ought to know that just as much as you think you’ve got everything mapped out, I’ve got everything mapped out. It can’t be easy, feeling hopeless, not knowing which way to turn. Talking is what will bring you peace.’

‘And say I do tell you where Derrick is.’

‘Oh. I guess I didn’t make myself clear. I don’t really give a fuck where he is. I need you to bring him to me. In one piece.’

‘I don’t always scatter the body parts of the men I kill.’

‘Ah. But you’ll bring him to me alive. You’ll bring him to me without a scratch on his already scarred up skin.’

‘I’m afraid that’s not possible,’ I replied.

‘With the right people, everything in this world is possible. And you, you’re the right person.’

‘If you’re so fucking powerful, why don’t you just break him out of jail?’

A sarcastic laugh gurgled through the phone, ‘You’re a funny character, Mr. Chandler. Except, we both know that the cell where Derrick was meant to be held, isn’t the cell that he’s being held at. Imagine my surprise when I have my guys armed and ready to take that hellhole by a storm only to find that cell number eighteen had never smelled the stench of my…’ he paused. Perhaps not wanting to disclose information that I already knew.

‘Of your brother?’ I finished his sentence.

‘My brother?’ For the first time during our conversation, he sounded surprised.

‘Yes. Your brother. Same mom, different dads. Split up when you were seven and he was four. Except, you landed in a hoity-toity environment while he had to deal with the drunkenness of a man who was even worse than his biological father. Abuse, lack of love and support turned him into who he was. But you, you didn’t have to take this route, except somewhere deep in your DNA, you craved power. Maybe you were mad that your mom pretty much sold you to those rich folks. Maybe you were mad at the world for the hand your brother was dealt.’ After receiving the information from Loudmouth about Derrick and Harry’s relationship, I’d done further research to really put proof to the claims.

‘And you? What do you thank for your attributes?’

The way in which he asked made me know that the only information he had on me was what I’d done and not who I was. He couldn’t break me down bit by bit and analyze the ins and outs of my characters like I could do to him.

‘People like you,’ I answered sardonically.

‘I’m not sure there are many people like me?’ His answer came matter-of-factly, proudly, as though he really believed that he was something special.

‘I’m not going to argue with you about your inferiority. Give me my wife.’

‘Give me Derrick Shaw.’

‘I’m not going to do this with you.’

‘No. I’m the one who’s not going to do this with you. My intentions were to keep her safe, but my patience, it’s wearing away slowly and I might just have to start sending bits and pieces of her to you as a reminder that I’m not to be fucked with.’

‘I don’t know where your godforsaken brother is.’

‘Knowledge, Mr. Chandler, isn’t something you’re born with, it’s something you acquire. So, if you don’t know how to find him, learn how to find him. And do it quick.’

‘Fuck you,’ I snapped.

‘Oh. Mr. Chandler. You’re pressing on a nerve that you don’t want to snap. Let me make this a little clearer for you. If you fail, I’ll just have to have another party take care of your job. But, if you fail that would also mean that I failed to select the right person. And I, I’m not a man who deals with failure very well. What I’m going to do for you, is to give you a little inspiration. If I don’t hear back from you within a week, I’m sure your wife will be very happy to send you a reminder,’ his voice grew harsher and louder, ‘that you don’t fuck with Harry Peterman.’ He let out a sigh, before clearing his throat and progressing with his threat. ‘Van Gogh, he was an ear kind of man. But I’m guessing that you’ve got a thing about teeth, considering you damn near rid Locke of all of his. Tell me, how would you feel about receiving an enamel coated gift from your wife? Clear enough for you?’ He waited for a few seconds. ‘I’m guessing you’re not going to answer me. Such a shame, because I was really starting to get used to the sound of your voice. Oh, and before I go. Let me just warn you that if you ever try to find me before I want you to, and if you ever try to get to your wife before I hand her over to you, she’ll go up in smoke just like all those damn buildings that I couldn’t bear to see stand. I’m good with that kind of things as I’m sure you’ve come to realize. And a pissed off Harry is an explosive Harry. I don’t think you’d like to have your wife barbecued and so, I trust that you’ll be the perfect little soldier you were intended to be.’

I slammed the phone down on the table, beating the life out of it the way I wanted to beat the life out of Harry. Where was the karma Lila was so adamant existed? Why is it that I guy like me who turned his entire life around was being dealt a hand of misfortune? Okay, so maybe karma was late on dishing me a big plate of ‘fuck you’. But Lila, she didn’t deserve any of this. She was the kind of girl who feared spiders more than anything in the world. However, rather than having me stomp them to pieces, she insisted that they be caught in a jar and released into their natural habitat so that they could breed and infest her home even more. She was the kind of woman who cried at commercials. The type who would give her last penny to someone in need.

On my computer, there was no information of relevance. Failure to locate this Harry character meant that once again, hope was lost. I knew what I had to do. It was just a matter of working up the courage to do it and to finally come to terms with the fact that I couldn’t do it alone.

Chapter 5

‘3-6-1-9,’ was the number that started my revenge. One phone call is all it took to land me in an underground location that wreaked of old paint and fresh champagne.

‘Man cave, huh?’ I turned to Adam who still had his hands wrapped around Jones. My voice prompted him to let go.

‘Yeah. This is what my man cave looks like. Though, I must say, I don’t get to use it quite as often as I should.’

He hadn’t changed a bit since I’d last seen him, years ago, except for a few wrinkles that had set in at the corners of his eyes. ‘The wife won’t allow it?’ I asked, unable to determine if this notorious bachelor had finally managed to find someone who kept him home.

‘Wife!’ The crooks of his mouth bent into a smile. ‘You know. I can’t say I’ve been lucky enough to fall in… whatever it is you people like to call it.’

Jones toned in. ‘Love,’ he answered, rolling his eyes over dramatically. ‘I’m afraid to say, you’re the only on Joe. Half of us are too scared to- you know- find ourselves in situations like the one you’re in and the other half just enjoy the freedom of… well, the freedom of being free.’

‘This could have happened to any of us,’ I warned him. I could tell that Adam didn’t quite agree. The way he pressed the glass of champagne against his lips for more seconds that it took to take a satisfying gulp was enough clarification. ‘Spit it out.’

‘The champagne?’ he laughed, revealing his jagged teeth.

‘No Adam. Whatever it is you want to say. Just spit it out.’

He ran his hands through his bleach blonde hair, nodded and then began. ‘People hire us, they don’t threaten us. In training, we were forbidden to have families. You know that. The half of us who aren’t orphans didn’t mind disappearing from the lives of those they knew. We weren’t trained to care and so, there’s no one that they could grab that would cause me to bat an eye or lose a second of sleep. I like things that way. It’s easy.’

It was a terrifying thought; one that didn’t matter much to me before, but now, with Lila gone, consumed my entire existence. Both my parents died in a car crash when I was just eighteen years old- eighteen years ago. As an only child, I didn’t have anyone and thus, NW45 found it easy to recruit a guy like me. And I, found it somewhat easy to let go from the nothingness that life had to offer and hop on to whatever adventures they had in store. Granted, no information was divulged before we’d signed our souls away. But the harsh training told me we’d be doing more than tossing teargas and pointing guns.

‘Shit happens man,’ I said, trying hard not to show how torn up I was. They didn’t understand. These men followed a pact. They weren’t here because I was some buddy that they’d missed. The truth was, though we got along quite well with each other, we didn’t have the connection that regular friends did. We were trained not to develop that form of connection. If-when on the job- one man fell, we were trained to look the other way and ensure that the duties outlined by our president were thought about first and the wounded last-if at all. For the most part, I’d followed this rule. But during the time that I’d spend with these men, I’d developed a bond with them. And so, I didn’t leave their backs uncovered when we were in danger. But I also didn’t carry the wounded over my shoulders.

‘Where are Iron and Tony?’ Jones asked, changing the topic.

‘They should be here any minute now.’ Adam looked at his watch.

‘They’re coming together?’ I asked confused.

‘I think so,’ Adam replied. ‘They started working together and had a job to complete before they could stop by.’

The look on Adam’s face told me that Iron and Tony weren’t busy typing up documents while sitting behind a desk. ‘What is it that they do?’

Adam was definitely happy I asked. He traced his fingers against the stubble on his chin, glanced at Jones who looked just as interested to hear about Iron and Tony’s endeavors as I was. ‘Well. Let’s just say they haven’t strayed too far from home.’

‘Hits?’

‘Eh.’ His head waved from side to side. ‘They dabble in that too, yes. But it’s more of a trade kind of thing. The guys they’re taking down are turning them into some very fucking important fellows.’

‘How so?’ I asked, slightly irritated that Adam wouldn’t just spill the beans already. He hadn’t changed one bit, trying to draw up suspense where there should be none.

‘They influence the stock market. They work with some guys on Wall Street who key them into who should be taken out and who should have some minor or sometimes major tragedy fall upon them and then they have fun while watching their investments surge.’

‘So they kill for money,’ Jones said, unimpressed.

‘It’s not just killing for money, it’s killing for millions.’ Adam seemed a bit irritated by our lack of excitement.

I left the conversation, and walked over to a table that was complete with all the finger foods a man could ever want. I picked up a plate and topped it with a few mini pizzas and some weird take on Bruchetta. It had been a while since my appetite kicked in and I knew that even though I’d rather skip breakfast, lunch and dinner, I would need the energy if I was going to pull off what I had planned.

The dogs that guarded the front door, from the inside, started to bark, alerting us that the other two men had finally arrived. Those who wished to enter Adam’s bunker needed to do so with a dog whistle- one blow and the dogs would start barking like crazy. There were no door bells or doors to knock on. From the outside, it simply looked like a manhole cover- though a bit suspicious considering there was a manhole deep in the woods.

I greeted Iron, who had obtained his alias due to his inability to show expressions. ‘How you doing, man?’

‘Long time no see,’ he replied, keeping the neutrality on his face. If I guessed that he was excited to see me, I may have been wrong. If I said he was indifferent when it came to seeing me, that may have been more accurate.

Tony, on the other hand, was a talker. Always on a high, he smiled from ear to ear. ‘Look at you. Look at you. Man, I thought you’d just dropped off the face of the earth and into some far away galaxy.’ He reached out a strong arm, complete with bulging veins and pumped up muscles. I took his hand and shook it firmly.

‘It’s good to see you too,’ I smiled- less enthusiastically than he did.

‘So, what are we here for?’ he got straight to the point.

Adam pushed his way between us. ‘Joe’s wife.’ He raised his eyebrows, pursed his lips and nodded fervently.

The two stared at each other for a while before bursting into uncontrollable laughter. I glanced at Jones who didn’t seem to find the situations as humorous as they did. A part of me felt as though there was something up with Jones. The Jones I remembered was a lot more carefree, a lot gigglier.

‘Nah,’ Tony replied. ‘Don’t mess with me like that.’ Tony and I had worked side by side for the entirety of my career with the government. And though I could understand his disbelief, I found his laughter annoyingly obnoxious. ‘You mean, to say’ he continued, ‘my buddy over here done got himself tied up. Don’t tell me you have kids too. Little Joe’s running around with their AK 47s and shit.’

Again, laughter bounced from section to section in the room. This time, Jones joined in. Iron’s chest moved up and down, mimicking laughing motion- though his face stayed as unreadable as usual.

‘Okay guys. Enough of that. Can we get started here?’ I looked from person to person, ensuring that they noticed the firmness on my face- the one that said I meant business.

Everyone gathered around the long stainless steel table that took up the entire center of the room. I’d created files for them to examine. Files that contained information on Derrick Shaw as well as the miniscule amount of information I could gather on Harry Peterman. In addition to all this, was a photograph of my wife- something that was necessary as they all needed to know who we were fighting for. I’d spent hours scavenging through photographs; trying hard to pick the right one- a photo that would pierce their hearts and instill sympathy into their rough souls. Of course, these men were soulless, but still, I held onto the hope that the right photograph would ascertain that they fought their very hardest.

I dished the files out to each member of my team, sliding it easily across the table and watching as their hands smacked down on the paper.

‘Inside those folders are pictures and information on the guys we’re after as well as a photograph of my wife Lila. The first guy, with the five-hundred year shadow is the one who took my wife, Harry Peterman. The second photo is of Derrick Shaw, who I’m sure you all remember. And the third and final photo is of my wife, Lila Chandler.’

‘Hold up a minute,’ Jones interrupted. ‘What does your wife have to do with Derrick Shaw?’

The room filled with chatter in an instant. Whispers and guesses-right before my eyes- of what connection my wife had to Shaw, was the main thing in discussion.

‘Guys!’ I pounded my fist on the shiny silver table. ‘She’s a victim. She’s innocent. The people we need to be talking about are Derrick and Harry. Now, may I continue?’

Everyone nodded.

‘The Harry character that you see on the paper, is Derrick Shaw’s brother.’ I noticed a few eyebrows furrow in confusion. ‘They share the same mother. So DNA bound, womb bound, that kind of sibling. And Harry wants him back.’ Iron’s hand flew in the air like a middle school student who was trying to work his way to teacher’s pet. ‘Yes Iron.’

‘Why don’t we just get him from the cell and deliver him to Harry Peterman.’

‘Because,’ I paused. ‘We’re talking about Shaw. Derrick Shaw.’

‘The president’s already moved him,’ Adam intruded.

Iron nodded, knowing just what this meant.

‘But how soon before he uses him?’ Tony asked, tapping a pen forcefully on the picture, directly against Shaw’s face.

‘Hopefully not very soon. But, that’s what we’re here to find out. If I’m lucky, we’ll be able to do all this before the president’s ready for him.’

‘Sorry,’ Jones’ voice took on a less than optimistic nature, ‘but you do know that the president doesn’t keep them in Block 8 for more than two weeks. So, I guess what I’m asking is- how much time do we have?’

Chuckling came from the far end of the table. ‘What is it, Adam?’ I prompted.

‘Not that I’m at all inclined to say no to any plan that you muster up but you don’t really think we’ll be able to pry our way into Block 8, do you?’

‘No,’ I answered firmly. Of course, I’d considered this option, but knowing how well guarded the place was, I decided that against it.

‘Good, cuz the president would eat you alive. I’ve got to ask though. Wouldn’t it be easier if we just took Peterman out?’

‘I can’t risk it.’

‘But you can risk getting on the president’s wrong side? You know he has people like us working for him right? Except their stronger, younger and probably more fucked up in the head.’

‘I can risk it, because I have reason to believe that my wife’s sitting on pounds of dynamite and Peterman won’t hesitate to blow the living shit out of her if I piss him off. Plus, I know just how to appease the president’s appetite. Once we get Peterman, we’ll have more to give than we took.’

‘Alright,’ he raised his hands in the air, his palms facing me- a sort of surrender. ‘However you want it.’

‘So,’ I went on, ‘the plan is to figure out when the president will be having Derrick Shaw moved from Block 8 to the Presidential Cleaning location and interrupt them there. Seeing as no one has ever tried what I’m planning on doing, my guesses are that he won’t see it coming, which gives us a slight advantage. Tony, I’m going to want you to get in touch with your people and gather information on all the private planes that come into DC in the next couple of days. Figuring out when the Mexican President, Russian President, UN Secretary General and the Director of the CIA are all in town at the same time will give us a better idea of when shit’s going down. Ever since we’ve been working for the president, these guys have never missed a Cleaning. So, I think this will be the perfect cue. Iron, I’m gonna need you to hand out phones to some people on the streets who can keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Hobos, junkies, anyone who can be bribed into being reliable. The president will be using one of four locations and so, we need to cover all of them, just to make sure. Adam and Tony, you’re gonna help me to set up the rest of the plan which you can find in the back of the folder. Now, guys. We’ve got to move quickly. As soon as we get word that all the right figures are in our neighborhood, we need to be ready to move. There’s no time to fail. Because one downfall will lead to the failure of the entire operation.’

We went over the plan for another two hours, ironing out the details and safeguarding that everyone understood the role they were expected to play. Though nothing would have been better than not having to deal with such a situation in the first place, it was uplifting to know that I could count on these guys. Like me, they had the necessary degree of training to get the job done.

Once all was said and done, we decided to kick back a few drinks for old time’s sake. Tony spoke a million miles per hour, telling us just how great business was going for him. He still loved killing, perhaps more than before considering now, it came with more dollar signs attached to it that he could have ever dreamt of. Iron, as always, remained relaxed, not seemingly overjoyed by the success that he was a part of- though even if he were, his impassive face wouldn’t allow us to know otherwise.

Adam and Jones were living pretty much regular lives- detached from anything emotional and serious, but as regular as one could expect from them. The only thing missing was the fulfillment they got from being a part of NW45. They craved the kill, the rush of adrenaline they would feel chasing after the bad guys and serving them their own form of justice. Me, I’d been okay without it. The life I once lived was a life I no longer yearned for. Sure, it may have been nice brushing shoulders with important people who didn’t realize how insignificant they were about to become. There certainly was a charm to carrying out off the record duties for the president, duties that would create a dystopia out of the United States of America, if the citizens knew just how much evil hid in the shadows of the mighty. However, regardless of how cheesy it all sounded, Lila was all I needed. She was my adrenaline, my rush. She replaced my old life in a way that couldn’t be compared with.

‘So guys,’ I raised my glass, bringing them away from laughter and side conversations. ‘I just want to say thank you for- you know pitching in and agreeing to help me out.’ Not that they had a choice. ‘I truly, truly appreciate it.’

‘To working together again,’ Tony chimed in.

‘To working together again,’ everyone agreed and our glasses clanked together, with drinks of beer, champagne and rum tipping over the edges and onto the dark wood flooring.

I pushed the glass against my lips, titled my head back and swallowed the last drops of my drink.

‘I think I’m going to call it a night now. So folks, I’ll see you when I see you.’

***

The hike back to my car was long, cold and dirty. As I maneuvered my way through stray branches and under masses of bush, I felt like I was back in a time where stakeouts were a common part of my day. Especially in the heavy darkness that lay before me and the absence of the moon and stars, wiggling around in unchartered territories was no easy task. However, I’d made it through, albeit in a longer period of time than it took me when I was traveling through the woods in the daytime. My car, parked across the street in a hardware store parking lot was easy to spot. I looked around- ensuring there was no one to see me- before I made my way to my feet and dashed across the lonely streets. I fiddled around in my pocket, pulling out the keys to my Audi A5 and speeding off into the night.

Upon entering my home, the loneliness of life struck me. No Lila. A messy apartment- filled with paperwork rather than dirty plates. I flopped down on the couch and stared at the nothingness of the ceiling. Though I had a plan in action, there was no removing the awful feeling that had taken hold of the pit of my stomach. However, now, I had at least the smallest bit of info to give to Harry when he called. Info that would hopefully prevent him from introducing my wife to aggression that I would need to repay him for. And then it struck me. I’d smashed my phone to bits and though finding my home number was definitely no problem for him-considering he knew just where I lived- he’d called on my cell. What if he thought I was avoiding him? What if he thought I just didn’t care what happened to Lila? I jumped from the couch, much more quickly than I’d landed in it and sprinted my way down the stairs.

‘Joe. You alright,’ asked my neighbor Erica, who had her hand lightly placed on my shoulder.

I caught my breath. ‘Yeah. You know, considering…’

‘Well, if there’s anything at all I can do to help, please don’t hesitate to come knocking. Lucas is out of town for a few days, so you really can come talk anytime you please. I’m here for you Joe. Everyone in this building is here for you.’

I smiled politely, trying hard not to believe what I knew was true. The subtle smile, nice gesture and hands where I didn’t want them was done with an ulterior motive. She was flirting. There were no two ways about it. My already achy stomach turned at the gall on Erica. She knew just what I was going through and found it fit to try to make a pass at me. Not to mention the fact that she was married. Of course, it wasn’t hard to tell that her relationship was a ruse. Girl in her twenties married to a man who could be her father, or grandfather for that matter.

‘Thanks Erica.’ I forced a smile before turning away to show her that the conversation was done- that I had nothing else to say.

‘You know where I live,’ she replied, slowly pushing the door open and disappearing on the inside.

On my keychain dangled the small mailbox key. ‘Please be empty. Please be empty,’ I prayed to the mailbox before assembling up the courage to reveal its contents. My eyes squinted, my heart raced and I tried with all my might to avoid the big brown envelope that stared back at me. There’s no way it could be what I thought it was. There’s no way Harry could have done what I think he did. It had only been a few days since he made his threat.

‘Please don’t be what I think you are. Please don’t be what I think you are,’ I whispered, reaching into the mailbox and gripping the envelope in my fingers.

Chapter 6

I held the brown envelope tightly in my hand, trying hard to feel the contents inside. There was paper- that I was sure of but the numbness and coldness of my hands didn’t allow for me to feel if there was much more. I took a deep breath, trying hard to acquire the strength the flip the envelope to the other side and decipher the name that was more than likely printed on it. ‘Just do it,’ I whispered. My frazzled hands jittered as I took the envelope by the corner and flipped it around. DC Electric. I positioned the envelope underneath the front light of my building, just to make sure the darkness wasn’t causing me to see what I wanted instead of what was really there. DC Electric.

‘DC Electric!’ I exclaimed, punching the chilly air with my fist.

Lila was safe. Well, as safe as she could be in Harry’s company. Rather than heading back up to my apartment, I decided to take a ride to the 24 hour shop and pick up a new phone- nothing too fancy. I settled on one of those brick looking things with buttons that were clearly intended for fat fingers or bad eyesight.

‘That’s all,’ the tired looking cashier asked before placing my purchase into a bag.

‘Yup. That’s it.’

‘Have a good night.’

‘You too.’

***

Back to my lonely apartment I headed. Once inside, I assumed my regular position on the couch, draping the blanket over my legs and pulling it up to my neck. Ever since Lila was taken, my bedroom became a place I didn’t frequent. Both her side of the bed and mine were left vacant. The couch- though not the most comfortable sleeping medium- was where I spent my nights when I wasn’t scavenging through paperwork trying to figure out a plan.

At six o’clock sharp, I was pulled away from a less than satisfying slumber.

‘Hello.’ I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and sat up in a decent position.

‘Mr. Chandler. How good to hear your voice. I’ve got to tell you, I was starting to get worried. Was damn near ready to get my dentist in here for some tooth work. But he’s not one of those regular dentists, you know. He doesn’t travel with epinephrine or any of those nonsense. He likes to hear them scream just as much as I do.’

His voice was one that could cause even the biggest pacifist to want to throw punches.

‘What is it Harry?’

‘Well. For starters, your wife is doing well. If I didn’t know otherwise, I would say she quite enjoyed my company. She doesn’t complain much, just sits there watching the ceiling. Her face is too pretty to look pissed off, but I can tell that there’s a little anger in there somewhere. Oh, and of course, she’s a bit emotional but I like to think they’re tears of joy. I’m a pretty easy guy to get along with and she knows how to play nice. If I didn’t know better, I’d probably say she likes being in my company.’

‘You bastard.’

‘Call me what you want Mr. Chandler, but it sure looks like I have the upper hand so you might want to tell me all about your progress. How’s my guy doing?’

‘Your brother’s doing fine.’

‘And?’

‘What do you mean ‘and’?’ The fact that I had to have any conversation with this guy irked my nerves.

‘And, Harry, I’ll have him back to you tomorrow.’

‘That’s impossible. You think I’m fucking Spiderman or something. When you did your research, you should have found out that I stopped working a pretty long time ago. So I’m very sorry I’m not as resourceful as you expected.’

‘I’m sure you’ll prove to be just as resourceful as I need you to be. The main thing is that you get Derrick Shaw to me and you get him to me in one piece.’

‘As long as my wife is fine, you can have Derrick Shaw any way you like him.’

‘Now that’s what I like to hear. See, it’s such a great thing to do business with you.’

‘I’m not doing business with you,’ I hissed.

Harry chuckled like a little kid before continuing. ‘You have something that I want and once you bring that to me, I’ll pay you in the form of a woman. Sounds like business to me. Or maybe a form of modern prostitution. You know, I’m thinking that if you fail to deliver, a bit of banging around couldn’t hurt your wife. I can think of quite a few men who would pay top dollar for a piece of ass like her.’

‘Don’t you dare touch my wife,’ I warned.

‘Or else?’

‘Or I’ll bring you your fucking brother on a stick and then I’ll snap your big fucking head off your neck with my bare hands and shove it right on top of his.’

‘Ooh,’ he jeered, ‘getting a bit aggressive, are we?’

‘I don’t know what kind of sick game you’re trying to play here, but I’d prefer if you took it to someone else. I know what you want and I’ve agreed to give you what you want. I hardly think there’s a need for any further conversation. All I need from you now, is to call once each day, just to see when your turd of a brother will be freed.’

‘I could just give you my number.’

‘I said call.’

I hung up the phone before he got the chance to go on about how he loved my voice and how talking to me was his new favorite hobby. They guy was a psychopath, there was no doubt about it. Just the sliminess of his voice made me realize how much I needed to make my plan work and I needed to do it quick. Only God knows what this guy would do to my wife if he snorted one too many lines and that’s not something I wanted to find out. How did I know he liked the white stuff? Well, let’s just say, you can hear it in a man’s voice. The constant sniffing and clearing of his throat even though he sounded as though his immune system was right on par. Couple that with the frequent bursts of energy he seemed to get at the oddest of times. Either his adrenaline didn’t know what stretch of night was appropriate to surge or he’d had a little help getting his boost.

Chapter 7

1 day later

Adam left a message to say that it was time to get together. The time to finalize our plans had come. I entered the neatly tucked away meeting room in the bunker to see that everyone was already there, seated around the table and waiting for no one but me.

‘Shit. I’m not late, am I?’ I asked, peering down at my watch to see the time.

‘Nah,’ Adam replied, ‘We just all chilled here for the night so…’

‘Okay. Great. I’m guessing and hoping that you all have got some great news for me.’ I tried hard to keep the optimism alive.

‘Absolutely,’ Tony’s eyes lit up, ‘the birds have landed in the building.’

I chuckled at his wording as it reminded me of my first year working for the US government. This was perhaps the catchiest phrase back then- though not one we used professionally.

‘But in all seriousness, they’re here,’ Tony continued. Russia and Mexico’s presidents, the UN Secretary General and of course, our lovely friend from the CIA.’

‘We’ve also narrowed down the location that Shaw will be transferred to,’ Jones added.

‘Narrowed down as in…?’

‘Narrowed down as in we know where the fuck he’s going.’ Jones didn’t try hard to hide his excitement.

‘That’s perfect,’ I smiled. Things were falling into place and I truly appreciated how efficient these guys worked. ‘You guys are the best. So, now it’s just a matter of waiting until they’re bringing him to the president and then we’ve got to put plan number two in motion.’

‘Say,’ Iron entered the conversation, ‘are you sure you want to go for tranquilizer guns? I mean, it takes a little bit of time to get working and once they’re down, having these guys wake up can be pretty risky.’

Iron had a point but the second part of our plan would hopefully rewrite any bad feelings that the first part left lingering. ‘If we kill the president’s guys then we’re looking at never ending fury. There’ll be no way to talk ourselves out of what we did unless we’re all willing to say goodbye to our freedom and jump right back into our old lives.’

‘Can’t have that,’ Tony agreed. ‘As much as working for the president was fun and all, this new venture we’re on blows it out of the park.’

‘It’s always about money with you,’ Iron said coldly.

‘Don’t act like you don’t like it,’ Tony shot back.

I didn’t feel like hearing them bicker. Bickering was a waste of time and time was something we didn’t have much of. ‘Guys. Cut it out,’ I snapped.

Iron sat back in his chair, but not before shaking his head at Tony disappointingly. Tony smiled cheekily.  I couldn’t figure out what was going on with those two, not that I cared. They were professional enough to not let it affect the work they’d be carrying out for me, and that’s all that mattered.

I looked at Iron and addressed him directly. ‘Iron, have we got enough people looking out and reporting to you.’

‘Yeah, that part’s one hundred percent covered. These are reliable people too, so you don’t have to worry. A bit messed up in the head, yes, but I’ve worked with them before and they’ve done a fine job. Today, they’re going to change position and get closer to the location as to be able to get a better eye on things.’

‘Perfect. Sounds like we’re all set to go.’

The guys and I went over a few final details, ensuring that we got each aspect of the plan down to the T. Once this was done, we split up into teams to take on the different areas of the road, equipping them with all the things we needed to make our plan run seamlessly.

Jones and I headed out onto the lonely streets, a good half an hour away from the bunker. We took his ‘undercover’ car, a Honda Accord, one with plates that didn’t link back to him. Jones parked the vehicle on the side of the road and set things up to make it seem as though he was busy changing a flat. My eyes scanned the surrounding areas for people or the lights of cars approaching. When I was certain that it was safe to make a move, I carried the large duffle bag out of Jones’ vehicle and to the side of the road where the bushes grew wildly and the grass was left untamed.  Using a small machete, which I retrieved from the duffle bag, I cleared away a small space. Next up, was the spike system which I placed into the clear area as to prevent any obstruction when it needed to be drawn. The clear line attached to the spike strip system was given to Jones who pulled it across the road and secured it to a small tree close by. It was then time to get the weapons in place. Rather than having to travel bulkily, we needed to hike our way to the location, leaving all cars behind. The tranquilizer guns, paracord, and two way radios were stuck into the earth and covered with a net that had been fitted with leaves for camouflage.

‘All set?’ Jones yelled.

‘Yup. Just about,’ I replied, securing the last end of the net into the ground with a stick.

I made my way to my feet, fighting the persistent branches and leaves away.

The streets- when we began to drive, were still as quiet as ever. No cars to be seen. No voices to be heard.

‘You think we’re all good?’ I turned to Jones for confirmation.

I must have ran the plan over in my head a million and one times but still, there was a slight degree of fear that I’d missed something, or that we’d fail.

Jones pulled one hand away from the steering wheel and placed it on my shoulder. ‘We’re the best there is. Nothing’s gonna go wrong, I can promise you that.’

I knew that I should believe him, but so much depended on us succeeding. Failing wouldn’t only mean not knowing the fate of my wife. It would also mean the possibility of becoming another Derrick Shaw to the president. It didn’t matter that we’d worked for him. It didn’t matter that we’d done a great job at keeping his secrets private and his demands fulfilled. If he got wind of our plan before he needed to, before we could appease his appetite for revenge, we would feel a fury that none of us was willing to withstand. A part of me felt bad for getting these guys involved. I’d moved on so much from the life I once had to know that when you ‘owe someone’ it doesn’t mean that you have to follow through- especially not when the requests are as high as the ones I dealt them.

‘You look worried,’ Jones noticed, pulling his eyes away from the road for a second.

‘I dunno man, it’s just that I gotta get her away from that stupid bastard and I’ve got to do it without getting caught.’

‘It’s nice…’ he glared at me with something that seemed like envy in his eyes, ‘that you’ve found someone who you can… you know, love.’

‘Never thought I was meant for that kinda thing to be honest, but that woman, she’s just perfection.’

‘I feel you. I know that many of the other guys don’t understand it. We’ve had all the love beat out of us in training. We’ve learned to forget that compassion is something that exists. It’s hard to get back from that life.’

I’d never heard Jones so sentimental and that made me think that there was more to what he had to say.

‘Did you meet someone?’ my eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

His eyes told the story faster than his lips could. ‘Yeah. Pretty girl. Very pretty. Patient. Understanding. The whole works.’

‘What was her name?’ I prodded him to say more.

‘Julia.’ His eyes seemed to glisten in the darkness. Filling with tears that he tried hard to prevent from falling.

I’d never seen anyone in our team this emotional. All this while I was thinking that Jones was just like the rest of them, with a fear of being attached; a fear of settling down.  His comment about being too scared to end up like me or loving freedom too much didn’t help me to see through the façade he’d been putting up either.

‘What happened?’

‘Derrick Shaw.’

My eyes widened and I felt as though someone had wacked me right over the head. ‘Huh?’ There’s no way he said what I thought he said.

‘You heard me right the first time. Derrick Shaw.’

‘I don’t get it.’

‘You weren’t the first person these bastards turned to. They’ve had their practice.’

‘They took your girl.’

‘They killed my girl,’ he said with a vengeance.

‘Fuck. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for having drawn you into this. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have asked.’

‘Don’t be. I’m finally getting the chance to fight back- to show these bastards that they didn’t win. So, you can say I’m doing it as much for me as I’m doing it for you.’

‘If I’d known I would have…’

‘You would have helped. I know. Everyone would have. I just didn’t think they’d get away with it. I thought I had the skills, the resources, the talent to take them down single handedly.’

‘How’d they do it?’ I lowered my voice, unsure if I was pushing too much.

‘I had this whole big proposal and shit ready. Picked out the perfect ring and all. She was supposed to meet me for dinner at this restaurant she’d been begging me to take her to, but then she was late. I waited and waited, thinking that she was running late. She was a doctor so it wasn’t that odd that she was behind on time. But after hours and one too many glasses of water, I knew that something was wrong. She would have called, you know. I tried her cellphone, no answer. I called the hospital, they said she left.’

I nodded, just enough for him to know that I was fully engaged in his story.  He continued, ‘She didn’t come home that night and I couldn’t bring myself to believe that she would just up and leave like that. I mean, where would she go? We were living together. She gave up her apartment. There was no place for her to go. So, I hacked the security cam footage checked the one for the parking lot and that’s when I saw that she was taken. These bastards took her car too, though, but they made a mistake. The car they drove there was parked close enough for me to get a partial license plate number. Ran it through the system and found that it belonged to some dude named Sami Locke.’

‘Damn. That’s one of the guys I shot.’

‘Did you kill him?’

‘I should have fucking killed that bastard when I had the chance, but no. I didn’t.’

‘I’m happy you didn’t. At least now I get to take care of him myself. Well, I figure out where these guys were, cuz I’d put a GPS tracker on Sami Locke’s car and set up across the building to take them out one by one. But somehow, they figured it out and grabbed me while I was getting ready to swat them like flies. They took me to this room and tortured the crap out of me, asking about Derrick. I was in that room for about three days, and one day some other guy brought me food and I took him out, stole his gun and ran through the entire building killing everything in my way. That’s when I saw Harry, though I didn’t know his name until I saw the paperwork you brought.’

‘Slimy bastard he is.’

‘He shot her.’

‘Fuck,’ I felt his pain as though it were my own. Images of Lila shot through my mind and my body shivered at the thought that she could end the same way Jones’ girl did, if we didn’t get things right.

‘Yup. I had my gun pointed directly at this bastard’s head. He had his arms wrapped around her body. Her face was swollen. Her lips red with blood. And when she looked at me, I lost my focus. My hands fucking started to tremble and I couldn’t get them to stop. Then he looked at me and I guess made up his mind that he didn’t give a crap and blew one right through her head. I ran. Like a fucking pussy. I just ran. I should have turned back and took him out. But I left. I couldn’t look at her. I couldn’t face it. So I ran.’

‘I’m sorry Jones,’ I said, trying hard to keep my eyes in front of me and not make eye contact. I didn’t know how to deal with one of our soldiers- one of the toughest guys I knew, weeping like a young child.

‘I’m gonna get him. I’m gonna get him so fucking good,’ he banged his fists against the steering wheel, the movement causing his tears to splash in all directions.

Chapter 8

Judgement day

The day finally came. The day that would decide whether we’d be able to soar a flag of victory through the sky, or whether we’d need to bury our heads in the sand. I’d prayed that morning. Not just to the Christian God, but to all the ones I could think of. Did I think that this would work? No. Though neither God nor luck were things I believed in, I knew I could use having every aspect of the universe on my side. I’d dropped to my knees, clasped my hands tightly and raised my head to the bright light positioned in the middle of the bathroom ceiling.

‘God, Allah, Buddha and Brahma. Ah Puch, Anshar, Selassie and all those that I don’t remember or know, please guide us through this adventure we’re about to take on. I know that I don’t pray. I know that I don’t know how to pray. But if you’re there, like many people think you are, then you’ll understand that this matters. Please ignore the fact that some men may lose their lives; that guns are involved and that treacherous actions are about to take place. They have to. And because you’re meant to be understanding, you’ll understand. Right?’

Of course, I knew I sounded like a complete nut job. But if I had to pray to a box of milk to bring my wife back, I would.

Instead of one of the Gods answering my question, Adam’s voice sounded from the outside. ‘You okay in there?’

‘Yeah. I’ll be out in a minute,’ I replied, knowing that he must have heard me rambling on to myself.

‘Great. Jones and Iron are heading out now and I’d say we need to step on it. Can’t afford for any hiccups to hold us back.’

I swung the door open, causing Adam to stumble a bit. The side of his face had been pressed against the door.

‘Sorry.’

‘No worries. You ready?’

‘Yup.’

Adam settled his gaze on my face for a moment. ‘We’re good at what we do Joe. We’ve got this,’ he assured me.

‘Yeah. It’s just hard not to worry. If we fail…’

He shook his head and took hold of my shoulder. ‘We won’t fail. In all the years that we’ve known each other, none of us have had to tuck our tail between our legs and watch victory slip away. We’re the best there is. And just because the president’s team trained the guys we’re about to take out, doesn’t mean that they’re better. We’ve been doing this for longer. We’re going to win. We’re going to get Derrrick Shaw. Okay?’

My mind wandered back to Jones and the great failure he’d told none of the others about; the failure very similar to the one I could have to deal with. ‘You’re right.’ I agreed, trying hard not to speak misfortune into existence.

‘Okay,’ he said, slapping his hand across my back. ‘Let’s go teach some bad guys a lesson.’

Together, Adam and I made our way to the metal door that opened up to reveal stairs and the bottom end of a manhole cover. A click of the button and the cover slid to the side, revealing bright sunlight and allowing a round of the cool fresh air to tickle my nose. In the direction of Adam’s car we headed, looking like a pair of hikers who knew the area like the back of their hands.

‘You seem like you spend quite a bit of time down there,’ I interrupted the silence that lingered between us.

‘Wouldn’t you? That place is great. No neighbors to complain about noise. No wandering eyes to judge what goes on. If I could, I’d freaking live down there.’

‘Do you ever bring girls down there?’ A valid question, I thought.

Adam brushed a few dead leave off his shoe, ‘I have before but it’s not something that I make a habit out of. Most girls won’t go for that kind of thing anyways.’

‘Tell me about it. Would seem like you’re some kind of creeper, bringing them into the deep woods.’

‘Funny story. This girl that I brought down there years ago had a panic attack when she woke up in the morning. I’d blindfolded the crap out of her and so she had no idea where I was taking her. She liked it at first, said it made her feel more adventurous. But you know how it is. In the morning, they don’t want you to know what they really look like, once the makeup rubs off on the pillow case. So they try to sneak out before you wake up, except she had no idea where to go. I walk up on her trying to bargain with the dogs and she’s like, ‘if you’re going to kill me, at least make it quick.’

‘That’s a good one.’ I forced a laugh. On any other day, I might have found his story stomach crampingly funny. But today, even with the distractions I was trying to pull through conversation, my mind just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going to go wrong. Harry hadn’t called yet and if he didn’t, I’d just be sitting around with a wanted man in my car, not being able to give him to his rightful owner. I wouldn’t be able to get Lila back. Just when I was about to really start panicking, my phone started to beep. I retrieved it from my pocket to see what I should have known. In Adam’s bunker my phone had no reception and so, the three calls from a private number which could only be from Harry that now popped up on my phone weren’t able to come through.

‘Shit,’ I exclaimed.

‘What?’ Adam turned around rapidly, his hand positioned on the gun that now peeked out of the waist of his pants.

‘He called.’

‘Well call him back. We need to get the location figured out but whatever you do, make sure he comes to you.’

‘He’ll call back,’ I crossed my fingers. ‘I haven’t got his number. But as far as the location is concerned, I’ll see what I can do.’

‘No,’ Adam demanded, ‘this whole shit will go up in flames if we’re on his turf. Have him meet us where we discussed, in the woods behind the hardware store.’

‘And if he says no.’

‘If he says no, you make him say yes. He’s got leverage, but so do you. Remember that.’

‘He’s a tough cookie to crack.’

‘Well. We’re made of Kevlar. If you can’t handle it, just pass the phone over to me and I’ll show that bastard who’s in charge.’

‘I can handle it fine,’ I intentionally curled the corners of my mouth, mimicking a smile. Could I handle talking to Harry? Absolutely. However, I knew that he was a different kind of crazy and that meant I needed to tread lightly. He’d done this before and there was no way of knowing that he wouldn’t do it again- just blow Lila to bits and start over from scratch. Guys like Harry were impulsive- typically acting first and thinking later. The fact that he didn’t know that the president had other plans for his brother meant that he wasn’t aware that an expiration date was carefully pinned to his plans.

We walked for a couple more minutes. Just as the car was in clear sight, my phone began to tone.

‘Joe,’ I answered, stating my name.

‘How nice that you picked up this time,’ came Harry’s rustic and sadistic voice. ‘I was starting to get worried. I must have called you a million times and I was thinking that maybe it was time that I gave you a little push. You know, in the form of, let’s say, Lila crying a little more than usual. I bet you’d kill for a voicemail like that.’

‘Yeah, well. I picked up now. Didn’t I?’

‘And that’s why you’ve saved her a tooth or two.’

I hated how much he enjoyed this and if nothing else, being reminded of just how disgusting this beast was, made me want to win- to carry out this plan so impeccably that he’d feel the urge to applaud me for his suffering.

Adam moved closer to me and pressed his ear against the phone to tune into the conversation. ‘I’ll have your guy to you today.’

Harry cackled like a hyena high on antelope. ‘That’s what I like to hear. That’s just what I like to hear. You know, I had so many people telling me that I couldn’t count on you. But there’s something about you Mr. Chandler. I just had that feeling that you were the right one for the job. Just don’t fuck it up because I really, really, don’t like being wrong. No, what I meant to say was, people really, really don’t like when I’m wrong. So, unless you’re willing to handle the repercussions, you better be bringing your best.’

I ignored his little rant and went on to give him the address. ‘That’s right behind the hardware store?’

I crossed my fingers, in hopes that he wouldn’t object to the location. Things seemed to be falling into place all too well.

‘Yes. As I said. Right behind the hardware store. You’ll have to drive through a whole bunch of shrubs and crap and then you’ll be there.’

‘Guess it wouldn’t be the best time to take the Ferrari out then. Would it?’

‘I personally, don’t give a fuck what kind of vehicle you feel like taking. Send me a text, so that I’ve got your number and once all is said and done, I’ll let you know it’s time to meet.’

As usual, I hung up once I’d said all I needed to say. Before putting my phone in my pocket, I pressed my fingers against the off button and listened as it shut down. The last thing I needed was to have my ring tone blow my hiding spot.

‘He sounds like a clown,’ Adam said before retrieving his car keys from his coat.

‘That would be putting it nicely. The man’s a fucking nut. Makes you wonder how it’s the biggest idiots who get away with shit like this.’

‘Because they’ve got nothing to lose. I wouldn’t say they’re much different from us or at least, much different from how you were before Lila.’

‘But we had a purpose.’

‘Not always good ones.’

‘Sure, but we didn’t have the most important man in the world as our enemy.’

‘We’re about to,’ he shot back faster than expected.

‘But not for long. If part two of our plan goes accordingly, then we’ll be fine. We’ll be just fine.’

‘But the president’s got a temper and you have to remember that he’s got all his important buddies in town for this event and now, one of their prized possessions is about to be stripped away.’

‘Shall we get in,’ I said to Adam who was still fiddling with his car keys. I wanted to stay positive. I needed to know that everything I had planned would work and though I knew that Adam didn’t mean to put a damper on my expectations, his words were starting to make me feel like I’d failed even before I tried.

‘Yeah, of course,’ he replied, finally clicking the open button on his transponder key.

I took a deep breath before steadily placing one foot and then the other into Adam’s freshly scoured car that wreaked of leather cleaner.

Off we went, into the center of what could very easily turn into a disaster. My heart pounded frantically as I anticipated what was to come.

Chapter 9

I couldn’t decide if the tingling in my leg was a result of my anxious nerves or if some insect had claimed it as his temple. On my stomach, I laid, the prickling of the grass kept away by my thick camouflage jacket. I’d been in that position for over an hour- gripping onto the rope as though my life depended on it. I needed to be ready to react. There was no room for error, no time that could be wasted. With each second that went by, I hoped more and more that the vehicle would arrive- the vehicle that would change things, hopefully for the better. The more I waited, the more I worried that something would go wrong; the more I contemplated the possibility that they’d taken another route. My ears were ready to hear the purring of an engine. My nose was ready to sniff the fumes from the exhaust. My hands were ready to pull. Another fifteen minutes went by with the only thing heard being the whistling of the wind and the shuffling of the trees. Laying and waiting was something I hadn’t done in a while; something that no longer felt natural.

Back then, when we were just agents working under the commands of the president, waiting was a game we played quite often. Being in charge of taking out men who were dangerous either in their actions or in the way they thought, meant that a lot of planning and of course, a lot of waiting needed to be done. So, there I was, reliving a past that I thought I left behind a long, long time ago. Waiting. And then, just as I was about to let go to scratch an itch that had presented itself upon the nape of my neck, the sounds I needed to hear filled my ears. The itch was forgotten and my mind was focused on the only thing that mattered.

‘Eyes open, black SUV approaching’ Jone’s voice toned through the radio. He’d been keeping watch at a point down the road, to alert us of when it was time to react.

‘Copy that,’ I replied. My eyes followed the vehicle. My nose smelled the smell. My hands pulled the rope, sending the spike strip to do its job. Slowly but surely, the vehicle slowed as with each meter the driver drove, more and more air seeped out of the tires. Soon enough, they came to a stop, evident by the screeching of tires and the trail of smoke left behind. I got to my feet, grabbed my gun which I’d placed beside me on the ground and sped through the bushes- dodging trees and jumping over piles of twigs. Adam, Iron, and Tony waited further up the road to take care of the men.

Upon arriving, I noticed that two men laid flat on the ground. Another two were perched over their seats in the vehicle. And then my eyes landed on the person who caused this all, Derrick Shaw. With his hands carefully secured around his back by a set of handcuffs and his legs unable to break free from the same restraint, he fought hard to untangle himself from Adam’s grasp.

‘What the fuck is this supposed to be?’ he barked as I approached him. His face had more scars than a soldier who’d found himself in the midst of a crisis. His hair was slicked back but not from some fancy hair moisturizer- from the filth that had undoubtedly been building in it for years on end. The cell he was being held at wasn’t a place where showers were able to be taken at one’s leisure. Everything was planned; scheduled. The men held in Block 8, didn’t have the luxury of tending to the most human needs.

‘Harry sent us,’ I said flatly.

His dark eyes lit up and his brown and yellow teeth revealed themselves. A smile bigger than any smile I’d ever seen before swept across his entire face. He felt safe.

‘Nah. Y’all have gots to be kidding me. I know Harry bad, but he ain’t that bad. Now tell me, who really sent you lovely folk here?’ The smile hadn’t yet left his face. Even though he insisted on questioning the authenticity of what we said, he truly believed it to be true. He believed in Harry.

I didn’t answer. Instead, I made my way closer to him, gesturing to Adam to allow me to take over. Between the links of the handcuffs I inserted my hand, rolled it around as tightly as I could and yanked his frail body to the side of the road. Adam, Iron and Tony moved back, maintaining their silence.

‘Y’all ain’t so friendly, nah?’ He smiled again, cringing as the pain from the handcuff being squeezed even more tightly against his hand, travelled through him.

No one replied.

‘Come on, y’all. You know how long it’s been since I’ve had people on my side. People who truly understand the way the world works and shit. We’re gonna do great things together. I can just see it already. Like that one over there,’ he pointed to Iron. ‘Just look at him. Looking all pissed off and shit. Who did you something? ’ Iron’s eyes said enough for him to change his target. ‘What about you?’ He nodded in Adam’s direction. ‘Sorry for head butting you, by the way. But I’m thinking we’ll get along just fine. You seem like the forgiving kind. All the other ones here, they look kinda mean, but not you, you look like the kinda guy I would kick it with.’

Adam smiled but behind that smile I could see all the awful things that he wanted to do to Derrick Shaw.

‘Oh, for crying out loud, just shut the fuck up already.’ I’d had enough. All this talking combined with the stench of his breath and his awfully unattractive teeth was getting to me. Each time the wind blew his breath in my direction, I felt my nostrils tense.

***

We waited for what seemed like minutes, for Jones to come to our rescue. Derrick Shaw was shoved into the back of the truck, like the true piece of junk he was. Adam took the front seat and Iron, Tony and I settled ourselves in the back.

‘All good,’ Jones turned around to meet my gaze.

I nodded. Though the others seemed oblivious to the fury in his eyes, I could tell that he was itching to get his hands on Derrick Shaw, and dying to get his hands on Harry.

‘To the woods behind the hardware store, you said?’ He asked, turning the vehicle around and keeping his eyes on the road. We drove past the bodies that were stretched across the entire street.

‘You got it,’ Tony replied.

‘Yup,’ I confirmed.

I reached inside my jacket pocket. My shaking fingers took grasp of the cell phone and pulled it out. The annoying music chimed in as the phone turned on and a message popped up on the screen. Harry Peterman’s telephone number. I held my breath as the phone rang, willing him to pick up. Finally, the ringing stopped and heavy breathing tuned through.

‘Now. We have him,’ I said, hanging up before he had time to reply.

Again, I set my phone to the off position. The streets were lonely, as expected of an early Sunday afternoon. Outside of a few cars that rolled past, there was nothing to be seen. No people walking. No bikes whizzing by. Just the trees swaying from side to side and the clouds blocking out any heat from the sun. I closed my eyes, envisioning how things would go. My fingers unintentionally crossed themselves, prompting me to believe in luck; to give luck-or perhaps God- credit for such a smooth takedown. However, there was still a great deal of work to be done. With a character like Harry, there was no telling just how much difficulty we’d face in getting Lila back. We didn’t have a plan for what to do if he’d showed up solo or sent one of his goons to carry out a one sided exchange. ‘Think positive Joe. Everything is going to go as planned,’ I told myself.

‘Huh,’ Iron turned to face me.

‘Nothing,’ I said, pointing to my head, ‘just going a little bit crazy, I guess.’

His facial expression- as usual- didn’t change from its ordinarily disinterested but stern look. ‘Hmm,’ he managed before turning back to observe the nothingness that was happening on the outside.

‘Can somebody get that idiot to shut up?’ Tony turned around, looking from me to Iron.

‘I could think of a couple of ways, but you’d have to pull over for the majority of them to be possible.’ Jones replied laconically.

‘Why don’t you just blast the music?’ I added, finding numerous ways in which such an action would be beneficial to me, but knowing this wasn’t something that would be agreed to- and rightfully so.

‘Because we’re not trying to get the president to hear us from the slaughter house,’ he smiled.

‘Eh. You might have a point,’ I noted, settling for the slight volume that Jones added.

I hummed, tuning out the dark thoughts that entered my mind.

‘Seems like you’re in a good mood,’ Adam’s eyes met mine.

Rather than divulging just how much the situation scared the life out of me- of how I wanted to use Derrick Shaw’s head to pound a hole into Harry’s head- I settled with a, ‘yeah, relatively good,’ and continued to hum to the tune of the song.

‘Dude,’ Adam’s voice came louder this time. ‘We love this song.’

Everyone including Iron laughed.

‘No, Adam. You love this song.’ I reached in front of me and patted him on the shoulder.

‘What do you mean? We used to jam out to this all the time. Don’t you remember?’ Everyone continued to laugh. ‘I can’t believe you all have memory loss. Remember that time when…’

‘Adam,’ I held back a chuckle, ‘you are the only one who has ever liked this song. The only reason we listened to it all the time is because you never stopped playing or singing it.’

‘Look who’s talking. You’re sitting over there humming like a teenager who can’t get a Bieber song out of her head.’

More laughter ensued only to be brought to a halt by the bumping of the vehicle. We’d finally reached our location and Jones sped through the most open- but yet, still bushy- part of the woods, flattening the grass and everything in his way as he rolled through. Speed was a necessity here as it was imperative that we drew as little attention to ourselves as possible. Though the streets in this part of town were rarely frequented whether morning, noon or night, weekday or weekend, we needed to get out of sight quickly. A few more bumps later and Jones stepped on the brakes.

‘Finally,’ Adam let out a loud sigh, jumping out of the vehicle and placing a cigarette between his teeth.

‘Really,’ Jones rolled his eyes. ‘You’ve really got to light up, now.’

‘Oh, come on man, don’t be a sourpuss.’ His voice muffled from the difficulty it took to spit the words through his teeth while flicking the lighter and sucking in.

Jones rolled his eyes again, then reached over to the passenger seat and slammed Adam’s door shut. ‘This man and his priorities. I never quite understand him.’

I didn’t quite find Adam smoking to be as much of a big deal as Jones did. However, the fact that he was just as hyped up about this meeting, as I was- and possibly hyped up with more vengeance, I understood how he could be as irritable as he seemed to be.

‘Damn,’ Jones looked at me again, ‘I really could reach into that trunk and just fuck that Shaw dude up. Break his legs and arms so he can’t kick around like a freaking cracked out dog. How did he manage in a cell so long?’

‘Willpower,’ I answered.

‘Willpower my ass. He seems just about as weak as they come.’

Derrick Shaw wasn’t weak. He’d gotten a whiff of freedom and he wanted to revel in it sooner than he was allowed to. He thought we were on his side; that we were meant to protect him. He thought that we worked for Harry Peterman. And because of this, I could understand where he didn’t understand why being locked in a trunk was a part of the plan.

‘Alright guys. It’s time to set up.’

Jones, Iron disappeared into the bushes while Adam took to a broken down building where he could get a great view of our position from above. Tony stayed by my side. Harry arriving to see me by myself would have led him to be suspicious. Sure, one other person wasn’t plenty, but it would work fine to shadow any doubt that I had other tricks up my sleeves.

‘I think we should duct tape his mouth shut,’ Tony said out of the blue.

‘Huh?’

‘His mouth. Duct tape it. If he starts blabbing on and asking where the other guys are when Harry Peterman gets here then we’ll find ourselves in a bit of a pickle.’

‘Damn. Why did I not think of that?’ My mind was in a million and one places at the same time. I should have known how to shut out all the voices by now, but it wasn’t easy.

‘ I understand that you’ve got too much on your mind. But you’ve got to buck up. We haven’t got room for error here.’

‘Alright, you get the tape from the glove compartment and I’ll hold him still.’

I popped open the trunk and made my way over to Derrick Shaw who sprung up like a flower receiving water for the first time in years.

‘What the fuck is this? You’re not really taking me to Harry are you?’ The smile he had worn earlier was no longer there.

‘We’re waiting for Harry,’ I assured him. ‘Just sit still. Keep your mouth shut and wait.’

‘If this is some kind of joke, Harry will get you for it. He’ll crucify the living crap out of each and every one of you.’

‘Just shut up already,’ I commanded.

Tony came shortly after, fiddling with the end of the tape before reeling off a lengthy piece and cutting it free from the roll with a knife he had attached to his keychain.

‘What the fuck!’ Derrick Shaw exclaimed as I wrapped my arms around his shoulder and struggled to hold him steady.

Tony was quick to wrap the duct tape around his mouth, deadening Shaw’s words. He then opted for a bigger piece, positioning the end of the tape on his cheek and moved the roll around his entire head, securing it in the front. Finally, the ramblings and muffled speech stopped. I let go off Derrick, stepped away from the trunk and slammed it shut. The only thing left to be heard was his struggling to kick the trunk free. I’d always wondered why people did this. There was no escaping and even if he were to escape, where would he run to? Of course, adrenaline and a lack of clear thinking didn’t allow for logic.

I made my way over to the driver’s seat and Tony took the passenger seat.

‘Close the door and put the heat on,’ Tony said, rubbing his hands together.

Though not the chilliest of days in DC, the weather surely wasn’t accommodating. I did as I was asked.

‘I don’t see why we do this to ourselves. I mean, who chooses to live in the cold anyways?’

‘Us,’ Tony laughed.

‘Well, you know what? After all this is done, I’m moving my ass to Florida. I hate this weather.’

‘You’ll say the same thing about the sun. People always love what they can’t have and hate what they have.’

‘But there’s always the beach to cool off. Here, it’s not like I can jump into a pool of fire.’

‘No. But that’s what heaters are. Plus, you should be used to this weather by now. Remember during training when they had us camping out when the temperature was in the teens. Man, those were the days. Couldn’t start a fire because it would bring attention to us and blow our hiding spot.’

‘You think you could still do that?’

‘If I had to, but I’d rather not. Life is a lot more chilled now. This stock market shit is just the bomb. You should really get into it. Iron and I could definitely use a guy like you.’

‘Nah,’ I smiled at the gesture. ‘That life isn’t for me anymore. I’m getting comfortable with normalcy.’

‘Normalcy doesn’t involve stealing from the president to free your wife. Guys like us, we’ll never have normal. We’re fighters. We were designed to fight, to take what we want and not give a fuck about anyone else.’

‘We were trained to fight.’

Okay, so maybe Tony was born the way he was. Some people are. However, the chip that he constantly had on his shoulder was one that I’d been able to remove from mine- it wasn’t one I was born with. Before the government recruited me, I was just a guy who happened to find himself in MIT. I was a guy who worked out too hard to overcome the nerdy demeanor that didn’t allow me to get along with the ladies. Early mornings in the gym, days in the classroom, hours in the library and weekends at whatever party was going on. That’s what my schedule looked like. Until, one day, a massive dude, dressed to perfection spun around in the office chair in my dorm room. I thought I’d gotten myself in shit with the Headmaster or something, but no, he was recruiting. He’d been keeping an eye on me ever since high school, ever since my friends and I hacked into the Pentagon. The technology I’d been working on had piqued his interest and thus, he found that it was prime time to get me on his team. Though when I finally succumbed to their desires, technology wasn’t something I had much to do with. They realized that a gun in my hands was even more useful to them. Needless to say, there was no debating whether or not I should take a job working with the president. The fact that my family had passed away the previous year meant that I had no one to answer to about skipping out on school and becoming one of the government’s secrets.

‘They’re here,’ Tony’s voice pulled me away from my thoughts.

I felt my heart rate increase along with the moisture of my hands. I took a few deep breaths, trying hard to settle my nerves. Tony looked as relaxed as ever, and I could understand why. He didn’t have as much at stake as I did. He popped the door open and I followed.

Together, we stood at the side of the vehicle, facing the dark Sedan that stopped only a few feet away from us. I squinted my eyes, trying hard to see through the blackened out windows; trying to get a glimpse of Lila. And though a part of me strongly felt that she was there, behind the glass, there was no guarantee. My eyes slowly traveled down and then up as I watched Harry extend his legs out of the vehicle, wrap his hand above the door and pull himself out of the car.

His face was a lot smoother, a lot more human-like, than the way it looked on the photo I had of him. Rather than looking like rugged badass, his appearance leaned more toward that of an oversized dad; a man with a soul. But like they, say, looks can be deceiving and that they were. The perfectly groomed man who flashed a white smile-unlike that of his brother’s- didn’t have a tender heart. He wasn’t a caring, loving individual. No, he was a ruthless criminal. Someone who found joy in ruining the lives of those around him. Someone who believed that it was okay to set off a bomb in the middle of a city and claim the lives of innocent folk who had no reason to feel his fury.

My eyes were set on his face as he walked closer and closer to me. For a moment, I forgot that Tony was standing beside me. It felt as though Harry and I were the only people in the world. But rather than having my spirits lightened by the calmness he exuded, I felt a pounded in my heart- one that made me want to take him down even more.

‘Mr. Chandler,’ he flashed me a crooked smile. ‘It’s so great to finally meet you.’  He reached out a hand which I didn’t take before turning to Tony. ‘And you would be?’

‘Now’s not the time to be scouting for new buddies,’ I jumped in. ‘Where’s my wife?’

‘Where’s Derrick Shaw?’

Not this again.

‘That thudding you hear in the trunk isn’t coming from my radio. Now, where’s Lila?’

‘Seems like I treat her a lot better than you treat my family. See, I was starting to think we were friends.’

‘Where’s Lila?’ I insisted.

‘For heaven’s sake, she’s in the car.’

‘And I should just take your word for it?’

‘Boys,’ his voice came loud and enforcing, ‘show the man his wife. You see, Mr. Chandler, I’m a man of his word. I wanted one thing from you and seeing as you’ve brought me that one thing, I no longer need to hold on to your wife.’

Two men hopped out of the back of the vehicle. One, a short guy with a scar that extended from his forehead to his neck, made his way to the left side of the vehicle, pushing the door open. My eyes were stuck on them. Was she really here? Was my Lila, really here? Was it all over?

Chapter 10

To say that Harry Peterman was careless would have been an understatement. Lila emerged from the vehicle. Her weak body was held in place by two of Harry’s men- seemingly, the only two who came with him. Upon showing that he had Lila, he demanded that we set Derrick Shaw free. In only the cockiest of manners, he made his way to the back of the vehicle, where I fumbled with the keys, buying Iron, Adam and Jones time to take out the guys. The stocky man was the first to hit the dirt and the second guy, a tall slender figure, found his destiny right beside him. I didn’t have time to look at Lila, as I was busy strapping handcuffs on a dazzled and frantic Harry Peterman.

‘Is this some kind of setup? I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you. Oh, you’re going to have it coming. Just wait. You’re going to see that I’m bigger and badder than you are,’ he threatened.

We moved quickly, shoving him into the drunk, on top of his brother before slamming it shut. We had won. We were victorious. I ran over to Lila, who looked as though the grim reaper was standing before her.

‘Honey, it’s me. You’re safe,’ I said before lifting her frail body and carefully placing her inside the SUV. The other guys, Iron, Adam and Jones, joined Tony, Lila and me, only a few moments later. Now, it was time to put part two of our plan in action. Tony started the engine and whizzed through the bushy and rocky area and into a hiccup. Harry had been stupid in not coming with enough people but what we didn’t expect, was that he was smart enough to have backup. Another vehicle headed in our direction with two men bent out the windows with guns pointed at the windscreen of our vehicle. A flurry of gunshots filled the air as they pumped round after round into our vehicle. If it weren’t for the bulletproof glass, we would have all been out cold. Tony sped around them, and onto the streets. Through one road and down the next. Turn after turn, it seemed as though we’d lost them. But we knew we still needed to be cautious.

‘Are you okay, Lila?’ I asked, streaming my hands down her tear soaked face. She looked at me as though she had no idea who I was; as though I was the enemy. ‘It’s okay. It’s going to be all okay,’ I reassured her. ‘These guys. They’re going to take care of you. They’re going to make sure you’re fine. I promise you Lila. I promise you that nothing bad will ever happen to you again.’

When we were certain that we’d lost them, we turned off the lonely street we’d been on for over ten minutes and parked beside Iron’s vehicle. Carefully, he lifted Lila from my arms. I watched sadly as he placed her into the vehicle and sped away with her. I had no idea what she was thinking. The fact that she didn’t speak; that she didn’t resist what was transpiring was incredibly frightening. A part of me felt as though she’d given up hope; that she’d stopped fighting and was willing to allow just about anything to happen to her. I’d imagined our encounter being different. I thought that maybe she’d see me as her knight in shining armor; that she’d realized that I’d save her. Shaking the feeling that she viewed me as one of the bad guys was impossible. Did she think that I was just like them? What had Harry Peterman said to her? She had no idea what my past entailed. She’d insisted that we just swept it underneath the rug and moved on with our lives in a direction filled with only positivity. I was terrified that the negativity of who I was and of what I’d done was too much for her to handle. There was no telling if, once she got back on her feet, she’d move on from us and leave me behind. But now wasn’t the time to think about all that. The second part of the plan needed to be put into action and it carried significantly more risks than Harry Peterman’s encounter could ever begin to compete with.

Iron was to carry Lila back to the bunker, taking her away from all the action. He’d keep her safe while we carried out the rest of our plan- a plan that could blow up in our faces in ways we hadn’t bargained for. A part of me wanted to tell all the guys to leave; to allow me to handle everything on my own. However, I knew that I needed the assistance. I knew that even though we’d be the underdogs once we arrived and that they wouldn’t be able to shelter me or themselves from the vehemence we could face, I needed them.

‘You think the president remembers us?’ Adam smiled cheekily. ‘Maybe we’ll just be able to walk inside and bump fists like old buddies.’

The reality of it was that we’d never been able to sit back and have a beer with the president. Our meetings were always a ‘yes sir’, ‘no sir’ kind of ordeal. How the president would accept us was in the air. But we had a prize, one that I knew he would enjoy. Unfortunately, there was no telling if he’d take us as an addition to an already great deal.

Chapter 11

As tony maneuvered the vehicle around the final bend, a knot, the size of a baseball developed in the pit of my stomach. Some may say I was nervous but the truth was, I was scared shitless.

‘We’re here. Are y’all ready?’ Tony said before approaching the gigantic gate that stood between us and either victory or demise.

‘We don’t have a choice but to be ready,’ I replied.

Slowly, the vehicle rolled closer and closer to the majestic gates, prompting the men who stood guard to aim their weapons right at us. I stuck my hands out the window-hoping they wouldn’t shoot- willing them to come closer in order to see who we were and what we were about.

‘State your name,’ said one of the guards who was donned in everyday clothing- jeans and a bulky jacket- combined with a pissed off look on his face.

‘Joe Chandler. NW45’ I yelled through the window, refusing to stick my head out in fear that they’d shoot it right off.

‘And what’s your purpose here?’ he barked.

‘I need to speak to the president.’

‘Well the president’s not here. I suggest that you turn your vehicle around and head away from the premises.’

‘Hold up a minute,’ toned a familiar voice, though I couldn’t quite put a face to it. ‘Did he say Joe Chandler?’

I peered through the glass, trying to get a glimpse of the man who had his hoodie pulled too far down his face. The guard turned around and made his way to his colleague who stood only a few feet away from him. They talked quietly for a few minutes. Jones, Tony, Adam and I waited in an impatient silence.

‘If it ain’t these bastards it ain’t no one else,’ he approached the vehicle.

The big not that had developed in my stomach subsided. ‘Holy crap. Alexander!’

‘Just Alex now,’ he replied, pushing his head through my window and checking out the other parties inside.

Alexander had worked on a few jobs with us and had disappeared after the last one. We’d thought that he died; that he now called the soil six feet under his home.

‘What the hell are y’all up to? You know that these ends aren’t ones you should be idling around, especially not with what happened earlier,’ he whispered.

‘What happened earlier?’ Adam prompted.

‘Nothing. Nothing. But seriously, can’t you guys you know, get in touch with Presi the right way.’

‘It’s important, Alexander,’ I pleaded.

‘Alex,’ he corrected me. ‘I’m afraid it’s not up to me to grant permission.’

‘But you could at least ask.’

‘I could,’ he agreed, ‘but I’d be risking my job and my behind. What is it about anyways?’

‘It’s about what happened earlier.’ Adam ran a hand through his hair and raised his eyebrow in a manner that prompted Alexander to believe him.

‘You’re shitting me,’ Alexander exclaimed.

‘Alex,’ called the guard who’d spoken with us first. ‘You know you’re breaking a whole bunch of rules by doing what you’re doing?’

‘Let me ask you something Mario. Who is in charge of the gate and each one of you surrounding it?’ Alexander replied sternly.

‘You sir.’ Mario nodded and stepped back.

Evidently, Alexander had authority. I felt as though we’d hit the jackpot by running into him. If it were up to Mario, we’d be on our way without him even knowing why we came.

‘As I was saying,’ Alexander pushed himself further through the window, ‘you’re not serious, are you?’

‘I’m afraid we are,’ I said, pointing to the back of the vehicle.

‘Holy hell. Give me a minute.’ Alexander stepped away from our vehicle and started to talk into a radio. I couldn’t quite decipher what the person on the other end was saying, but the tone wasn’t a very inviting one.

‘What do you think that’s about? Adam asked.

‘Hell if I know. But I’m just hoping that this plan works as well as we need it to.’

‘I don’t know,’ Jones entered the conversation. ‘I think we should have just taken care of that bastard Peterman ourselves and then disappear.’

‘You know that would never work,’ Tony chimed in.

I could tell that Adam was getting irritated by the negativity as he’d rolled his eyes more than ten times in the one minute that went by. ‘Just stop it already. It’s going to work. We have what the president wants, plus a bonus. It’s not like his party’s ruined because we stole Derrick Shaw, it’s just delayed.’

‘It makes him look like a fool,’ Jones snapped. ‘He’s supposed to have these top secret guys working for him- the best there is in the world and they get taken out by a few rounds of tranquilizers.’

‘But we did work for him. We worked for him a lot longer than these people worked for him and we’re a product of his training. We were able to accomplish what we accomplished because he trained us well. If we get him to realize that, then we’re golden.’

‘I just hope he sees it that way,’ Jones replied dryly. ‘I still would have preferred to take him out myself.’

I got where Jones was coming from. If I didn’t know the repercussions of handling Harry Peterman rather than handing him over, I would have unleashed more fury than he could begin to comprehend. Jones, of course, had his own agenda. After the pain, Harry Peterman had put him through by not only kidnapping his wife, but killing her right before his eyes, I didn’t blame him for wanting revenge. I understood why he wanted to be the one in charge of draining Peterman’s body of each ounce of life.

‘Open the gates,’ Alexander’s voice came loud and clear.

We were granted entry which could be a good thing, a bad thing or a bit of both. Alexander didn’t approach us. Instead, he stood by the gate as our car travelled through the large open space in the center, closing it once the vehicle was fully through. Over a bump and then on a smooth path we went. Tony followed the hand gestures of another guard, right to a parking lot behind the building. The structure was even larger than I remembered it to be. From the outside, it looked like your typical warehouse- large, bulky and cold. However, behind the sturdy cement walls were more pain than anyone could ever imagine.

‘Get out,’ barked a large guy who stood in front of three even larger men.

We did as we were told, looking at each other perhaps for some form of reassurance that everything would be just fine. My feet were firmly planted on the pavement. There was no time for fear; or at least, no room to allow my legs to start wobbling and my nervousness to get the best of me. Sure, the way it felt being looked up and down by the guard whose mug resembled a pitbull ready to attack wasn’t great, but I held my breath and allowed him to investigate my face and check my body for any weapons. He pulled out my gun, swiveled it around in his hand before placing it on the hood of the car and looking at me disapprovingly. I shrugged my shoulders, unable to find a better reaction. The other guards carried out the same actions on Jones, Tony and Adam. Looking at them, they didn’t seem as uneasy as I felt.

‘Good,’ said the smallest of the guards- the one who examined me- to his colleagues.

‘All good,’ the other guards replied in unison.

One of the guards reached for his radio, pulled it out and spoke a series of numbers. Tony, Adam, Jones and I were lined up beside each other, looking around and wondering what would happen next. It was hard to determine whether we were on the naughty list or whether our actions would be forgiven. The guys didn’t necessarily handle us as harshly as I’d expect them to handle someone they considered an enemy. However, the looks on their faces weren’t those reserved for friends. They were stern, pissed off looks that made it seems as though they hated the world and everything in it. Our destiny had been decided.

Chapter 12

I kept peeking over my shoulder, in hopes of sighting a familiar face; one that would assure me that things wouldn’t be as bad as they could. A short while later, I heard footsteps coming from behind us and Alexander’s face popped around the corner.

‘Alexander,’ I called out, keeping my eyes on the guards and waiting to be scolded for breaking the silence.

Alexander walked right past the guards and made his way to me. ‘I’ve got to talk to you,’ he said.

I felt the blood in my body turn cold as I anticipated a fate that would, by no means, work in my favor.

‘Is it bad?’ I searched his face for some kind of sign. The blankness of his expression was impossible to read.

‘All I can say,’ he whispered, ‘is that the president is setting up rooms for you guys. In a minute, you’ll be taken into the building. Say the right thing and you might be okay. Say the wrong thing and… well, you know how the story ends.’

‘But the guys in the trunk,’ I said quietly.

‘They’ll be taken care of.’

‘So, you really have no idea what’s going to happen to us?’

‘I really know that I can’t divulge any information to you. It’s not my place to say.’

‘For an old friend?’ I pleaded.

‘Joe. You know how this works. Let’s head back over to the others. If they see me talking to you for too long, they’re gonna get suspicious.’

‘Alright,’ I nodded, not feeling any more hopeful about the situation than I did before.

Even if things didn’t end in my favor, I’d find some satisfaction in knowing that Peterman and Shaw would get what they deserved and that my Lila, was no longer in the hands of the foe.

‘Take ‘em in,’ Alexander said to the guards before stepping away and heading back in the direction of the front gate.

I didn’t resist my arms being yanked behind my back and my hands being handcuffed.

‘Fuck. You think my wrists are the size of a fucking twelve years old’s?’ Adam exclaimed.

I looked over to see that he had a smile on his face. A mischievous smile. ‘Thanks. That’s a lot more humane,’ he said as the guard allowed some room to be created between his wrists and the cold metal of the cuffs. This was just the beginning of Adam’s rant. His love for talking and striking up conversation during the worst times, meant that his mouth didn’t get a break. ‘I was so much like y’all,’ he laughed, ‘except tougher. A lot tougher. But I guess that what happens when you’re out doing real work rather than manning gates.’

‘Adam,’ I jumped in. ‘Just stop.’

‘Hey. If they’re gonna chop off my head, I think I should get all the talking done now. We’re not chicken’s you know. We don’t keep cackling on once our heads are detached from our bodies.’

‘They’re not going to chop off our heads,’ I said quietly, uncertain if this was true or not.

‘Well. Whatever it is they’re going to do. By the looks of it, we’re not exactly on friendly terms.’

I didn’t reply to Adam. He was right. Friendliness was not their strong suit. I kept my head straight and observed my surroundings as I was escorted down the corridor with the guard’s hand tightly wrapped around my arm. There was no life in the area of the building we were walking through. The concrete walls were unpainted. The empty jail cell looking rooms were fitted with one-way mirrors. I wondered why we were walking for so long. Surely, any of the rooms would have been good enough for whatever it was they wanted to do with us. Deeper and deeper down the corridor we went, until we came to a region that had large steel doors instead of one way mirrors. Adam was the first to be tossed inside one of the rooms and then it was my turn.

‘Sit,’ commanded the guard.

I followed his orders, kept my mouth shut and assumed an uncomfortable position at the corner of a metal chair. The guard left the room and slammed the door shut behind him. There was no telling what was going to happen to us. In all my years of coming in and out of this building, I’d never been down this corridor. This wasn’t one that was used back in my days- or maybe it just didn’t exist back then.

With no one being able to look in from the outside, I could only imagine the horrible things that went on inside cells like the one I’d landed myself in. Surely, this wasn’t some form of prison as there was no toilet- not even a bucket to be emptied out once our bodies decided to put our rear ends in use. Rather than a bed sitting in the corner of the room, there was just a blank space of nothingness. Closer to the door, there was another metal chair which made me think that it wasn’t unusual for two people to be placed in the room at the same time. Except this wasn’t the case with Adam, Jones, Tony and me. I stood and walked around the room, looking for traces of brains, flesh or blood- there was nothing. The president did have a pretty classic cleaning crew, but even they wouldn’t be able to get the stains out of rough concrete work. Maybe this room wasn’t what I thought it was. They wouldn’t kill us here.

‘Joe Chandler,’ came an awfully familiar voice.

My head jerked up as I contemplated what to do next. Usually, when the president arrived in a room, a hand would be extended but with my hands cuffed behind my back, this was impossible.

‘Mr. President,’ I nodded.

He hadn’t changed much, except for his grey hair being a bit thinner and the lines around his eyes and mouth being deeper.

‘Joe Chandler,’ he repeated, pursing his lips together and nodding his head as though agreeing with a thought that had popped into it. His green eyes didn’t blink. Instead, they stayed focused on mine, piercing through them in ways I never thought possible.

Back then, when I worked for this man, he was the only fear I knew. And as I stood in the room, trying hard not to blink while he glared at me, I felt that same fear resurface.

Chapter 13

‘You stole Derrick Shaw,’ the president said calmly but enforcing- his mouth barely moving.

I waited for him to continue but he just stared at me with those emerald green eyes.

‘You stole Derrick Shaw?’ he repeated. Now in a manner that sounded more like a question.

I answered. ‘Yes sir.’

‘You stole Derrick Shaw,’ he said a third time.

‘I brought him back sir.’

The empathy I searched for in his eyes were nowhere to be found. ‘You know what happens to men like you; men who betray the leader of the country.’

‘Yes sir,’ I replied, trying hard to stabilize my emotions; my need to tell him just why this had to be done.

‘Of course you know what happens to men like you. For years, you were the one issuing the punishment. So, I’m going to ask you, what do you think I should do? What do you think would be the right course of action to take?’

‘Sir. I had no intentions of keeping Shaw to myself. The plan was to bring him right back here. As I did.’

‘You tampered with matters that had nothing to do with you. You involved yourself in dealings that have embarrassed me in front of my peers; in front of powerful men,’ his voice grew louder with each word he spoke.

‘I understand Sir.’

‘Then explain yourself.’

‘Sir…’ I paused for a moment, collecting my thoughts. I knew that if I were to be taken seriously- if I needed him to truly understand- there was no room for stuttering. There was only room for confidence. ‘Derrick Shaw wasn’t the guy we had been looking for. He wasn’t the one in charge. Harry Peterman stole my wife and insisted that the only way I would get her back was to bring him Derrick Shaw. He’d done this same thing before… to Jones. Except he blew Jones’ fiancé to bits. I couldn’t have that happen but I also couldn’t betray you so I brought you the man you wanted and I brought you the man you should want even more.’

‘This Harry Peterman. Who is he exactly?’

‘Derrick Shaw’s brother. The real leader of Gamma.’

‘But Derrick Shaw doesn’t have a brother.’

‘He does, Sir, and he’s squished in the back of my trunk, waiting for you to hand him what he deserves. To date, he’s the best contestant you’ve had for the Presidential Cleaning.’

‘How do I know what you say is true?’

‘All the documents you need to prove the validity of my claims are in the car.’

‘We’ve read them.’

‘So you know that I’m telling the truth.’

The president nodded.

‘And what about you, Joe Chandler?’ He said calmly.

‘What about me, Sir?’ I knew exactly what he was asking. I knew what he was suggesting and maybe what he already had planned. But I wanted him to say it. If he was going to put me on the stage that has only seen the victims of the Presidential Cleaning, I needed him to say the words.

‘Do you think you belong in the mix? Do you think that today is your day to partake in the Presidential Cleaning?’

‘With all respect, Sir, I think I’ve…I think we have brought you someone of value. I think us interrupting Derrick Shaw’s transport worked to your benefit.’

The president nodded his head. ‘Alright then,’ he said before turning and heading to the door. ‘I’ll have someone take you to me in a few minutes.’

What did that mean? Why was I to be taken to him? ‘Fuck,’ I yelled once the door had closed behind him. Was he really going to be this harsh? Did he not have an ounce of forgiveness- of understanding- in him? I wondered what was going on with the other guys and if the president had gone to see them or if he’d come to see me first. I wondered if they’d been dealt the same hand I had; a hand of uncertainty.

Again, I perched myself on the metal chair, willing it to magically transform into a bed. Of course, it remained the same old uncomfortable metal chair with edges that tried hard to penetrate my skin. I shuffled around on it for a while, trying to find a position comfortable enough. When all failed, I decided to plop down in the corner of the room- on the cement floor. I pressed my head against the wall, being fully aware that I wouldn’t be able to hear anything, but trying anyway. I wanted a sign that the other guys were going to be okay. What I’d asked them to do wasn’t fair at all. I hated the feeling I got, knowing that if they ended up being a part of the Presidential Cleaning, it would all be my fault.

***

At least an hour went by before someone pushed open the door- the screeching of ungreased hinges irritating my ears.

‘Okay, Joe Chandler,’ the president made his way in for the second time.

I was confused as to why he’d shown up again. After all, he said that he’d have someone escort me to ‘god knows where’ in only a few minutes.

‘Yes, Mr. President.’

‘You’re free to join us for the Cleaning.’

My heart sank. Free? How was being a part of the Presidential Cleaning being free?

He must have noticed the look of horror on my face because he let out a subtle chuckle. ‘I’m not going to have you killed Joe Chandler. You’ve got a seat in one of the booths, if you’d like to watch.’

‘I…’ I tried to find the right words to decline his offer. ‘I’d rather not,’ I said in somewhat of a whisper.

‘Sorry,’ the President leaned toward me, gripping the lobe of his ear and pulling it down.

‘I’ve got to get to my wife. I…’ I searched his face for approval, ‘I’ve got quite a bit of explaining to do, if you know what I mean.’

‘Then I’m guessing that the follow-up offer that I’ve given to the others won’t be something you’re interested in.’

‘I’m afraid, I don’t think it will be.’

‘Well, for the record, you guys have truly proven yourselves today. I’ve trained you well and to see that you’ haven’t allowed your skills to wither away is very uplifting. Know that if you ever change your mind, there will be a place wide open for you amongst the men of NW45.’

‘Thank you, Sir.’

‘Remove the cuffs,’ he demanded.

A guard came rushing in my direction with keys dangling from his fingers. I spun around, allowing him to gain access to the cuffs. My wrists felt free but raw at the same time. The cuffs were tightly bound around them and unlike Adam, I didn’t demand that they be loosened.

I followed the President out of the room to see that Adam, Tony and Jones were all standing outside the door. Adam threw me a smile which I returned, feeling relieved that we’d gotten off scot-free. I looked at Jones to see if he’d finally come to terms with the fact that Harry Peterman would not end up being his prize. On his face was a look of calm and serenity, which told me that it was all okay. He was okay with being freed. He was okay with having someone else dish Peterman what he deserved.

We followed the corridor, going the opposite way from the one we took to get to the stone cold rooms. The President led us down a round of stairs and I knew where we were headed. I considered reminding him that I didn’t want to watch; that I needed to leave, but I didn’t. Instead, I followed in silence as we went by one armed guard after the other. And then we were there, in the underground arena that hosted the Presidential Cleaning. A big glass wall separator us from the viewers. I peeked in, observing a sight I’d seen so many times in my past. All the important faces in the crowd with the most important ones on an elevated platform only a few feet from the stage, staring and waiting for the slaughter to begin. There was an empty chair beside them, reserved for the president. Another four chairs were positioned on the stage. Each occupied by criminals who had wronged the president, or his friends, in one way or another. Criminals who no one would ever miss. Their hands were bounded to the arms of the seats with handcuffs; their arms and legs kept in place by barbed wire.

The Presidential Cleaning would have usually started in the early afternoon. However, with the distractions that we had caused, there was indeed a delay. Looking at the President of Mexico, the UN Secretary General and the other familiar faces of power who had never missed a ‘cleaning’, I could tell that they were growing both impatient and excited at the same time.

Now, I viewed things a little differently than I did back then. When I was working for the president, making trips every couple of months to locations just like the one I stood in, I didn’t have much of an opinion. I saw what was happening. I understood what was happening. But I was neither for nor against it. The crimes that the men who were chosen for the Presidential Cleaning committed were unforgivable crimes. They were crimes that shouldn’t go unpunished. When Harry Peterman took my wife, I was forced to have a personal vendetta against not only him, but also men like him. Sure, it might have been wrong that the President was fulfilling his most devilish desires by hosting a Presidential Cleaning. But to have men like Harry Peterman and Derrick Shaw locked in a jail cell and allowed to rot away in peace- it wasn’t enough. They deserved to feel the pain the nation felt when they carried out their acts and that’s just what they were in for.

‘When you’re ready,’ the President tapped me on the shoulder, ‘Lamar, will show you out.’

I looked in the direction he pointed to see a young man, in his twenties with an innocent face peering through the glass. I could tell that it was his first time witnessing something like this. It was the first time he’d had the privilege, or rather, the misfortune of becoming introduced to the President’s most well-kept secret.

‘Thanks,’ I smiled.

He shook my hand once more. ‘Remember what I said. You’re welcome here, anytime.’

Once the President had left our company and made his way to the front where he took the seat that was prepped and ready for him, I walked closer to Jones, Derrick and Adam.

‘Guys,’ I said, ‘I think I’m going to head out in a few.’

‘Did he tell you?’ Adam’s eyes lit up.

‘Tell me what?’

‘About Jones.’

I looked over at Jones whose face still bore the satisfaction that I wasn’t sure why he felt.

‘No. What about him?’

‘He’s gonna participate.’

‘In the cleaning?’ I asked stunned.

‘Yes. The president offered to go halfsies on Peterman.’

‘What do you mean, go halfies?’

‘He wants Jones to help him with the slaughter.’

I was dumbfounded. ‘Jones?’ I dragged his attention away from the stage.

‘Yeah.’

‘Is it true? You’re really going to participate in the slaughter?’

‘Presidential cleaning,’ Jones corrected me though there wasn’t much of a difference. ‘But, yes. I’m gonna be able to serve that asshole a big plate of revenge. It already feels good, just envisioning the things that I’ll be able to do to him- the pain that I’ll be able to make him feel.’

‘Well, congrats,’ I offered, not sure if this really was a situation that one should be offering congratulations in.

Jones looked at his watch. ‘I’ve got to go guys. Adam and Tony, I’ll see you guys afterwards, right?’ They both nodded. ‘Joe. You sure you don’t want to hang out a bit longer.’

‘I’ve got to get back to Lila.’

‘Understood,’ he said before making his way through the glass door and down the stage. A short while later, Adam and Tony decided to take their seats in the crowd, leaving me standing alone, gazing through the glass. A chair was pulled to the front for Jones. He suited up in gloves, protective goggles and a full-body plastic suit to prevent his clothes from being ruined during the ‘slaughter’.

‘Let the cleaning begin,’ a voice toned through the speakers. All the chattering stopped. All the faces in the audience- which consisted of approximately 40 of the most important people in the world- pointed forward. The President stood and took hold of the microphone.

‘First and foremost, I’d like to say thank you to all my lovely friends in the crowd who have come out to support the Presidential Cleaning today. I know that we had a bit of a delay and I sincerely apologize for that. However, I can assure you, that having resolved everything, we’re in for an even greater deal of fun. Outside of the villains outlined in the brochure, we’ve got an unexpected addition. This gentleman, sitting here,’ he pointed to Harry Peterman, ‘is the real mastermind behind the terrorist organization known as Gamma. His name is Harry Peterman. He’s the man who got away, until today, when some fine gentlemen decided to take matters into their own hands. I want to say a very big thank you to the members of NW45- you know who you are. It just goes to show how great the men we’ve trained are. Even when they’ve ventured into the world, having left my controls, they’re still loyal to the people they need to be loyal to.’ He flashed a smile across the crowd before continuing. ‘To start, we’re going to take care of the man responsible for our delay. I know that many like to save the best for last. But today, I think we ought to start off with a bang. Joining me will be Jones Thomas.’ Jones stood up. ‘He’s one of the men who brought Harry Peterman to me and I’m truly honored to be able to share this very special moment with him. Again, thank you all for coming and now, the Cleaning shall begin.’

He handed the microphone over to the commentator. He and Jones made their way to the stage. A cart containing what was usually referred to as ‘the tools of fun’ was pushed into the center of the stage. The president was the first to take his pick and decided on a small ball pein hammer as well as what looked like a handful of nails.

‘A hammer for Gamma,’ the commentator chuckled sadistically. ‘A great choice Mr. President.’

The crowd applauded.

It was now time for Jones to select his tools. In the air, he held his weapon of choice.

‘Plyers for the liars,’ the commentator laughed again.

The president turned to Jones and whispered something into his ear. Jones approached Harry Peterman, pried his mouth open and shoved a mouth gag inside before settling on his knees and getting the action started. The commentator made his way closer to Jones and Harry Peterman, positioning the microphone a short distance to the side of Peterman’s mouth. As Jones’ plyers took hold of one tooth and yanked it out, screams toned through the speakers only to be outdone by the audience cheering. Everyone was having a great time. But not me. I’d seen enough. The gore and blood no longer gave me that feeling that it once did. A part of me was happy that Jones was able to fulfill his wishes of taking Harry Peterman down- allowing him to feel a smidgen of the pain he’d caused him. At one point, I might have smiled and hoped that Jones was doing it for the both of us- that this form of revenge was also as reparation for taking Lila. However, if I were in charge of taking him out, I’d be a lot more humane. I wouldn’t need to start pulling teeth and snipping off fingers to feel like Harry Peterman got what he deserved. The only thing that mattered was that he was taken out of the world; that he wouldn’t be able to hurt innocent people any longer. But there was no reason to start ridding him of his pearly whites or splitting his tongue in two. When the president approached, placing a nail on Peterman’s hand and hammering it through his flesh and into the wooden chair, I knew it was time to make my exit.

I made my way over to Lamar, the guard who the president had told me was responsible for escorting me out of the building.

‘Hi, Lamar,’ I said, taking his attention away from the show that was going on on the other side of the glass.

‘Joe Chandler,’ he replied. ‘I take it that you’re ready to leave the building.’

‘Yeah. I ought to be getting back home now.’

‘This way,’ Lamar motioned to the left before taking a final glance at the show and walking away.

I didn’t look back. I followed Lamar down the very familiar path. Up very familiar stairs and through a very familiar metal door that opened to reveal the backend of the building.

‘Thanks,’ I said as he handed me the keys to Jones’ vehicle.

Chapter 14

‘Is she alright?’ I said to Iron who was lounged out on the sofa with a bowl of chips in front of him.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. He put up a lone finger, before swallowing and addressing my question. ‘She hasn’t said a word since I brought her in,’ he said, dusting cheesy crumbs from around his mouth.

‘Did you actually try to talk to her?’

‘I did but she just gave me this blank stare. I mean, maybe she just didn’t feel like talking to me. I don’t exactly have the most welcoming face.’

I chuckled. ‘Well. That’s definitely true. But I thought at least she’d want something to eat. Anyways. Thanks for, you know, helping out and all.’

‘Hold up. How comes you’re the only one who’s back.’

‘Ah. They all wanted to stay for the Presidential Cleaning.’

‘Fuck,’ Iron smacked a hand down on his thigh. ‘So you mean to say I missed all the good bits.’

‘Jones got to participate.’

‘You’re killing me Joe. What did he take?’

‘Plyers. The president took a hammer and some nails. They’re both doing the Cleaning on Peterman.’

‘Damn. That’s pretty fucking serious. I’d pay to see that.’

I left Iron to his imagination and headed to the room where Lila was. Carefully, I pushed the door open and peeked inside before entering. Her feeble body was curled into a ball. Her back moved up and down rapidly.

‘Lila,’ I said, closing the door behind me and leaning against it with my back.

There was no answer. I stood in silence and watched as her breathing quickened. She was awake but the last thing she wanted to do was to acknowledge my presence. The thought that she- in some way- blamed me for what happened tore my heart into pieces. I watched her for a while longer before approaching the bed. When I placed my hand on her back, her body tightened. Did she fear me? Was she disgusted with me?

‘Lila,’ I whispered. ‘I’m so terribly sorry that you had to go through this. You know that the last thing in the world that I wanted to do was to put you in any form of danger. It breaks my heart to see you like this; to imagine the things that you went through in the last few weeks.’ She scooted forward on the bed, allowing my hand to drop from her back. ‘Lila,’ I continued, ‘will you just talk to me?’

Again, I placed my hand on her body. She furiously pushed it away. ‘Please don’t touch me,’ she said softly.

Her voice was just as sweet as I’d remembered it, even with the strong presence of anger that clung to ever word.

‘Let me take you home,’ I met the softness of her voice.

This seemed to push her over the top because she sprung up and stared me deep in the eyes. ‘Home?’ she replied indignantly. The skin on her cheeks was dry, perhaps from all the tears that had fallen upon them in the weeks she’d been away. Her lips were chapped and in between the creases there were bits of dried blood.

‘Yes. Let me take you home?’ I repeated calmly.

‘Home is where you feel safe. So please, Joe, tell me which home you’d like to take me to? The one where I was dragged from? The one that was so easy for those ungodly people to access? Oh no, maybe it’s that cage that I’ve been sitting in for the past few weeks. Where the fuck is home, Joe? Is it here? Is it in this room that smells like a fucking cigar factory? Or maybe in the living room with some guy who looks like he’s still wearing the frowns of those he killed. Tell me Joe, please, tell me. Because I’d really love to know where home is.’

I had never heard this form of anger from Lila. Sure, she’d screamed once or twice before but it was usually due to me loading the dishwasher the wrong way or forgetting to put the toilet seat down. ‘I…’ I searched hard, but failed, to find the right words to say.

‘You what, Joe? Spit it out? You want to take me home. So tell me where the fuck you consider home. Because if you’re talking about that God forsaken apartment, there is no way in hell I’m going back there.’

‘Calm down, Lila,’ I pleaded. ‘Just let me make this right. I know that this can’t be easy for you. Trust me, I know.’

‘Don’t you dare tell me to calm down,’ she landed a weak fist on my shoulder. ‘You have no idea what I’ve been through. You have no idea how it felt sitting there wondering when they’re going to kill me and wishing they would just get it over with already.’

‘Did they hurt you?’

‘They dragged me from my fucking house and locked me in a room. They taunted me night after night and day after day. Does it really matter that they didn’t chop my fingers off because I really don’t think so. But you know what hurt the most Joe?’

I didn’t know what part of what had happened to her hurt the most but I was afraid to ask. I stared at her, hoping that she’d see just how sorry I was. Hoping that she could forgive me for being who I was.

‘The worst part of all of this, Joe…’ she continued, ‘the part that really, really hurt me, was to see that you weren’t better than these bastards. That’s what really gutted me. That’s what really hurt me Joe.’

‘How could you say something like that, Lila?’ I felt the tears welling in my eyes. In a sense, she was right. I’d done some horrible things in the past. But I’d done horrible things to horrible people. These men, they did a horrible things to the best person I know- the best person there is. Surely, that made me better than them.

‘I can say this because I saw the picture.’

‘What picture?’ I was confused.

‘What you did to that guy. The way you strung him up like a fucking pig. You did that. So tell me, how can I not hurt when I see something like that? When I’m presented with something that’s referred to as my husband’s work of art.’

‘That’s not who I am, Lila. You know that.’

‘So you’re not going to tell me that they were lying. Defend yourself Joe. Tell me they just made that shit up. Defend yourself Joe.’ Tears streamed down her face and her breathing shortened and quickened at the same time.

‘I…’ I hung my head in shame. I couldn’t believe the picture of me these bastards had painted in my wife’s head. I couldn’t believe that rather than allowing me to be the knight in shining armor who’d saved her, they turned me into some kind of demon.

‘You what, Joe?’

‘I had to, Lila.’

She laughed. A forced and fake laugh. ‘You had to. Is that right? Stringing a man up and leaking the blood from his body was a necessity? Is there something that I’m fucking missing here?’

‘I had to send a message to them. I had to let them know that I was serious. I needed to get you back, Lila.’

‘Don’t touch me,’ she barked, flinging my hand from her shoulder. ‘You’re a killer. A disgusting, filthy killer. What kind of man does these kind of things?’

‘You’re right,’ I said, allowing the tears to stream from my eyes. ‘You’re right. But you know what, at some point I wasn’t a killer anymore. I’d given all that up. And then because of you, I relapsed.’

‘So this is my fault now. Typical, huh? Throw the blame in whichever fucking direction you please, but not here. Not in my fucking direction. I didn’t make you do the things you did.’

‘They took you, Lila. You made me love you. You made me love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone or anything and they took you. So yes, I killed because I love you. I did this because I love you.’

‘And before? Before me, you were just this straight A MIT student who did homework and went to classes? Before me, you weren’t hanging people upside down?’ Her anger ceased to subside.

I took a deep breath. ‘You didn’t want to know who I was before you. You insisted that I didn’t tell you who I was.’

‘And you think that I expected to hear something like this. People have secrets and it’s okay to have secrets. So, no, I didn’t pry when you said you couldn’t fall in love with me because of your past. But that doesn’t mean that I thought you were a fucking psychopathic killer.’

‘I’ve never killed anyone who didn’t deserve to die.’

Again, one of those forced laughs left her perfect, but chapped mouth. ‘So you’re God now. You determine who’s good and who’s not. Who lives and who dies.’

‘Are you trying to tell me that the people that took you were good people?’

‘No, I’m trying to tell you that there’s a huge difference between shooting a man and what you did. There’s killing and then there’s fucking psychopathic killing. It just sickens my stomach to sit here and to look at you. To think of all the people who you’ve drained the life out of. To think of all the ways that you’ve tortured these people. It makes me sick. I can’t- not even for a minute, fathom how a human being can become like you.’

I know that I should have remained calm. That the insults were normal. She was innocent. She had no idea that the world wasn’t as bright and pretty as she viewed it. But it angered me. The way that she ripped me apart and made it seem as though I was still that person; it truly angered me. ‘Your government. Your president. The man you stood in line to vote for. He’s the one who creates people like me,’ I shot back. This seemed to shut her up and though I couldn’t hear the thoughts that were running through her mind, I knew that she was about to understand. I would make sure that she understood. ‘You see, Lila. There are people in this world who you trust. But remember, everyone has a dark side to them. That president that’s out fighting for your rights. The one who wants free healthcare and the elimination of poverty, he’s got a dark side too. But because he can’t take care of all the monsters in this world by himself, he creates people like me to handle them. So yes, after years of being trained how not to feel, I developed a skill that he was never reluctant to put to the test. I was asked to do unmentionable things for your president. I was trained to be who I am, by your president.’

‘That’s one weak fucking alibi. You think I really believe that the President of the United States of America trains serial killers.’

‘I’m not a fucking serial killer, for crying out loud. And yes, I expect you to believe it. As a matter of fact, I know that you believe it. And if you don’t now, you will in a matter of time.’

‘Yeah?’ She turned her head away, hiding the horror that was plastered all over her face.

‘Yeah Lila. When you watch the news and realize that there’s no mention of Harry Peterman, you’ll know that I’m telling the truth.’

‘There’ll be no mention of him because you probably dug the deepest hole to bury him in.’

‘And those guys. The ones that were shot right beside you. Did you see us stop to pick them up?’

She didn’t answer.

‘Of course not,’ I continued, ‘because we left them there. But don’t worry, you won’t hear about them in the news either, because the president’s pretty damn good at keeping this information a secret.’

‘Oh great,’ she waved her hands in the air. ‘This is just great. So, I’m guessing you want me to say thank you for all the hard work you’ve done. For protecting our nation from demons like yourself. You want me to just understand how important the job you’ve done over the past few years is. You want me to come to terms with the fact that the hands that have been holding me at night are the same hands that are capable of killing. The same hands that enjoy killing. But it’s okay, because you did it for the president.’

‘I never said that any of this was okay. And no, I don’t expect you to understand. I just need to you to remember that I love you. That I’ve always loved you and that I’ll do anything in the world to protect you.’

‘Just get out,’ she barked. ‘Just leave me the fuck alone.’

‘So you want to stay here? You don’t want to take me home.’

‘I don’t want anything right now Joe. Except to never see your face again.’

***

‘Iron,’ I yelled, having arrived in the living room to a television show being played at full volume.

Iron reached for the remote and clicked the ‘mute’ button. ‘Yep,’ he turned around.

‘Just wanted to ask if you were hungry. I’m thinking of tossing in some pizzas or something.’

‘Yeah. Pizza sounds good. How are you doing by the way?’

‘Alright, I guess.’

‘She’s not too happy, is she?’

‘More like completely pissed off. It’s tough but I’m sure we’ll get through.’

‘Good luck man. That’s all I can say. Thought she was about to chew your head off in there.’

‘Is that why you turned the volume up so loud?’

Iron gave what seemed like a smile- slightly denting the corners of his emotionless eyes. ‘You could say so.’

I made my way to the kitchen to see that Adam’s freezer was overly stocked with Pizza. Not having a wife to take care of cooking meant that frozen dinners were what his diet mainly consisted of. I tossed three pizzas in the oven and waited in the kitchen while they baked. Though I knew that the chance of Lila eating was low, the least I could do was bring a plate and set it in front of her. She hated me. That was clear. But I knew what it was like to hate me. I’d done a lot of self-hating throughout my life. However, I’d learned to love myself again and I hoped with all my might that she’d be able to do the same. Was the ‘me’ that she’d happened to discover hard to accept? Absolutely. But nothing was impossible.

Once the pizzas were ready, I plated them, dropped one off to Iron and headed to the room where Lila was still snuggled up in the thick floral blanket.

‘I know that you’re still mad at me,’ I started, ‘but please eat something.’

‘I don’t have an appetite,’ she yelled back angrily.

I placed the plate with her pizza on a small table that was situated in the corner of the room and made my way over to her. ‘Lila, I know that this is hard. Trust me, I get it. You fell in love with a man that you thought you knew, only to find that there are things that he did that seem completely unforgivable.’

‘They don’t seem unforgivable. They are unforgivable.’

‘Okay, sure, they’re unforgivable. But the things these men did, they’re unforgivable too. They’ve killed hundreds of innocent people with their senseless bombings. They’ve ruined lives. Destroyed families. And I’m sorry that I’m one of the guys who was in charge of making them pay. I never imagined that my life would have turned out the way it did. At first, yes, I was that MIT student. And then at some point I wasn’t. I had no idea what I was getting myself into until I was already in it. And after all that, the last thing that I had on my mind was to fall in love. At some point, I didn’t think I had a heart and then you came. You helped me to erase so many of those memories from my past but still, I was who I was. And the day they took you, I became who I used to be. I can’t change any of that, Lila. If you want to leave me. If you want to write me off as a monster, that’s completely up to you. But, I’m sorry if I don’t feel bad for going the extra mile to get you back. I’m sorry that all I want in this world is to know that you’re safe. There’s no one in this world who can protect you like I can and I need you to know that.’

‘There’s no one in this world who has put me in as much danger as you did.’

‘You thought I saw this coming? I thought that part of my life was over. But these people, they sniffed me out. They sniffed you out and if I didn’t do what I did, you’d end up like Jones’ fiancé. Those same people who took you, they took her first. They blew her head into bits right in front of him.’

Her hand shot to her mouth and for the first time that night, she seemed humbled. ‘I just can’t do this Joe. I can’t erase what I saw. I can’t unthink what I thought of you. I can’t. I just can’t.’

‘Is it going to be hard? Yes. But does that mean that we should just give up? Absolutely not. We can go to counselling. We can move. We can…’

‘Yes. There’s so much that we can do. But there’s also a lot that we can’t do. And as much as I love you,’ she took a deep breath, ‘I don’t know if I can forget. I don’t know if I can ever go on pretending like that part of you doesn’t bother me. I just don’t think I can do this anymore.’

Chapter 15

It’s been two weeks and five days since my wife packed her suitcase and traded the chilly DC air for the warmth of South Florida. It’s been two weeks and five days since I last saw the only face I cared about seeing. She said she needed time; that she wasn’t sure she could continue to be with me. I thoroughly understood the sense of disbelief that had casted itself upon her when she learned about the person I was. However, I couldn’t understand how she could just turn her back and walk away from us. Each minute I was away from Lila was another minute I worried that she’d fall into the hands of another Harry Peterman. She didn’t need to be on the sand forgetting about her husband. She needed to be home, allowing me to provide her with the highest degree of protection. Tracking her phone was an option and one that I’d exercised. My attempts to keep an eye on her led me to seeking Iron’s assistance. He’d helped me to obtain one of the best spy software in existence. And so, I was able to not only know where she was, I was also able to witness her smile, to enjoy the sound of her laugh and to watch her sleep at night. I saw the moments where she broke down just thinking about me; the moments where everything became too much. Just one click of a button. That’s all it took for me to tap into her camera and get a glimpse of what forgetting me was all about. But even with all that, I didn’t feel as though I was in control. I needed more. I needed her.

Knowing that parts of her day were filled with joy gave me comfort. She’d been staying with a friend she met in college. Though she knew not to divulge the information that had sadly fallen upon her, there were moments that I worried about the president’s secret slipping her tongue. Her friend had pried; wanting to know what it was that came between us. Lila’s constant response was that she didn’t want to speak about it just yet.

As far as my friends were concerned, there was only Iron and Tony left. Adam and Jones had disappeared. They’d more than likely picked back up the lifestyle we used to have. But as far as drinking my sorrows away were concerned, there was hardly anyone who I could turn to. The friends that Lila and I had made together were ones I avoided as the only interest they had was in knowing what had happened to Lila and why she’d left. This conversation wasn’t one I wanted to have; it’s not one I could be honest about. So, I was left to my lonesome. Just Joe and Joe alone.

***

The door swung open and out from behind it peeked a face a never thought I’d see again; at least not in person.

‘Lila.’ I jumped to my feet, uncertain if smiling would be an accepted response.

‘I’m back Joe,’ she said, in the smallest of voices.

I wrapped my arms around her, losing myself in the moment. Warm tears streamed down my face as I buried my head into her hair, hints of her lemon scented shampoo tickling my nose.

‘Joe,’ she whispered, wiggling her way out of my embrace. ‘We need to talk. Things won’t go back to normal until we clear up a few things.’

I wasn’t sure if things would ever go back to normal. After all she had learned about me- after leaving the way she did- I knew that life with her would never be the same.

‘Anything you want, Lila,’ I replied, trying hard to keep my hands by my side rather than wrapping them around her again.

She dragged her suitcase along the floor, heading to the room that I’d plastered with photos of her, the crime scene that had been made out of our home and bits and pieces of information that I needed in order to catch Peterman. I knew that I should ripped that room apart and restored it to the way it used to be. However, not thinking that Lila would ever return, I didn’t see the need.

‘Um, Lila, I’m not sure you want to go in there.’

She ignored my words, pushed the door open and froze as she noticed what I’d made out of the place.

‘You were dedicated,’ she said, before closing the door and parking the suitcase in front of it. ‘I think we should move.’

There was too much negativity in this place. Negativity that would hinder our ability to move forward. ‘We should move,’ I agreed.

I stood there, watching her as she looked around the place, perhaps trying to find bits of it that still felt like home. There was a coldness in the apartment and I couldn’t imagine how it felt for her to stride back into a place that had haunted her dreams.

‘We should start looking tomorrow. I’ll call the realtor.’

‘We’ll do whatever you want honey. You want to move, we can get out of here tomorrow.’

‘We can’t find a house that fast.’

‘We can stay in a hotel. Whatever it is you want, just name it.’

She rested a hand gently on my shoulder and squeezed. ‘I’m sorry things happened the way they did.’

‘I’m sorry I allowed them to happen.’

‘It’s not your fault and I understand that now.’

‘It is my fault, Lila. I should have known better than to get too comfortable. I should have known that the past doesn’t just disappear once you move into the future.’

‘I’m happy you didn’t give up until I was safe.’

‘Lila,’ I said softly. She looked at me and smiled a subtly smile. ‘Would it be okay if I kissed you?’

Lila leaned into me, tilted her head and allowed me to take her to place where nothing mattered but her and me.

***

Within a month, we’d packed up our old home and settled into our new. A nice bungalow in the South. The heat a constant reminder that the days were meant to be enjoyed and that the beach was intended for our serenity. For the first time in forever, we were comfortable. Lila’s night terrors occurred less and less frequently and I could tell that her mind was slowly but surely erasing the horrid picture that had been painted of me. She smiled fully. Laughed heartily. And loved wholly. The more she forgot about who I was, the more I forgot about it too.

I finally had everything I wanted again. The only difference was that I slept with an eye open and each move I made was a calculated one. There were many more Harry Petermans in the world, but I made sure that our lives were structured in a way that would keep them out. Lila needed to be kept safe and the only way to do that was to remember that trouble doesn’t warn when it’s coming but if you’re constantly looking out for it, you’ll spot it from a mile away.

Final Word

Thank you very much for reading my book. I hope you enjoyed it and found what you were looking for.

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If you enjoy Dystopian Fiction as much as me, make sure to check out some of my other novels. You can find links to my other titles, as well as a short excerpt of my newest book below.

My other Novels:

Prepper Central (Click Here)

Presidential Cleaning (Click Here)

Band of Preppers I (Click Here)

Band of Preppers II (Click Here)

Prepping for the Unknown I (Click Here)

No Tomorrow (Click Here)

6:00 Hours (Click Here)

The Unforeseen Enemy (Click Here)

Here is an excerpt of my new book ‘The Unforeseen Enemy: A Dystopian Novel’:

Chapter 1

My heart skipped beats, raced and refused to settle down. Through the tiny opening in the curtains, I saw the hooded figures cock their guns and charge towards what should have been our safe haven.

‘Dad,’ I whimpered, fighting back the hot tears that threatened to stream down my cheeks.

This was it; this was our time to feel the same wrath that had fallen upon so many of Parkland’s citizens.

Upon hearing my voice, dad stopped pacing around the room. His trembling fingers running through his short brown hair, his face lined with terror, I could see the defeat in his eyes. ‘Grab something, Liv. Food, batteries, a knife, anything that can fit into your pocket, grab it.’

There was no convincing my tears to refrain from flowing. Mom took dad’s words as her cue to start filling her pockets; moving through the kitchen drawers with rapid speed. For a second, I froze, not wanting to accept that our time had come. That today was the day that we’d be just like everyone else.

‘You heard me,’ dad’s voice came louder this time. ‘Grab something, Liv. It’ll only take them two minutes to get up here. Hurry.’

I joined mom in the kitchen and stuffed one item after the other into the front pocket of my hoody. Snicker bars, matches, hand sanitizer and just about anything my hand landed on. When my pockets could hold no more, I pulled the long kitchen knife out of the holder and stuck it behind my back.

‘Are we not going to fight?’ I asked through the hiccups of my cries.

‘There’s no fighting to be done,’ mom assured me in a tone that didn’t have the slightest glimmer of hope attached to it.

‘What do you mean there’s no fighting to be done? This is our home. We can’t allow them to stroll through it like they own the place. We can’t not fight.’

‘Your mother’s right,’ dad replied firmly. ‘In a few minutes, you’ll want to fight for your home, I get that, but what you also need to understand is that fighting for your home is better than fighting for your life.’

‘Are you kidding me?’ I hissed. ‘You worked for all of this. Hell, I’ve been working my ass off too.  Nothing about allowing it to happen makes sense.’

The frustration in dad’s voice grew, ‘this economy doesn’t make sense, honey, and there’s nothing we can do about it. So I suggest you suck it up and allow them to claim what they want. But don’t allow them to claim your life. You’ve got to be alive in order to survive. Don’t be stupid about it.’

He was right, the economy had taken a turn for the irreparable, but we had enough. We could survive until things passed. But giving up our home wouldn’t allow for survival. Giving up our home would mean that we were agreeing to defeat without questioning it.

‘You should know better than anyone,’ the pitch of my voice climbed, ‘you should know that if you want something you fight for it. Isn’t that what you keep telling me- that you stopped at nothing. What was your childhood for, then? Why did you pound all of that bullshit about reaching for the stars in my head? So that you could be a coward when you’re put to the test? Because the dad I knew- the one who turned mere pennies into millions- he wouldn’t just fold under pressure.’

‘This isn’t the time for that,’ mom snapped. ‘Show your father some respect and use your head for once.’

‘Allison,’ dad turned to mom, speaking to her as though I wasn’t in the same room, ‘Liv’s just upset is all.’

‘Of course I’m upset,’ I replied, walking toward the narrow hallway that led to my bedroom. ‘I’m upset because you’re telling me that I should just give up. You’re telling me to forget about everything you taught me and to just succumb to all the bullshit that’s happening in this world.’

My rant was interrupted by pounding on the door. I looked from mom to dad and dad to mom and noticed one thing in both their eyes- they were ready.

‘Just put your hands up and walk out.’ Dad’s head bobbed up and down in agreement with himself.

If they weren’t going to fight for themselves then I’d have to fight for us all. I charged toward my bedroom, slammed the door shut behind me and tuned out dad’s demands. ‘Get out here this minute, Liv,’ he yelled. ‘You’re going to get yourself killed.’

We weren’t put in this world to live forever and though death might have wanted to call my name as I pressed my back against the door- preventing one command or the other to cause me to cave- I knew that on the outside, death was harsher and more likely than anyone wanted to admit. Holding the knife securely in my hands, I slid my fingers down the edge of the blade. Sharp. Sharp enough to cut through meat and sharp enough to cut through human flesh.

A ruckus in the living room, with wailing and pleading was enough to ascertain me that they’d entered.  Footsteps- heavy and determined- approached my bedroom. I made my way to my feet, waiting for the inevitable. I watched as the door handle to my bedroom lowered. The door shuddered when the person on the other side realized it was locked.

‘Somebody’s in this one,’ a harsh voice sent shivers down my spine.

More footsteps- quicker this time- approached my bedroom. I stepped back from the door, knowing that in no time at all, it would be removed from its hinges and I’d be left to face the demons on the other side.

‘You know there’s no hiding from us.’ Way too many cigarettes were likely the reason for the huskiness of the voice that echoed on the other side.

Even through the door, I could smell him. The overpowering and undisguisable scent of cigarettes and booze. The door handle rattled rapidly and the pounding started again. My eyes widened and my hands clasped more firmly around the knife as one corner of the door separated. And then another. I planted my feet on the ground, building up the fight in me. One more shoulder to the door sent a short and stocky man flying through. Immediately, my hand went above my head and forcefully I swung it down in the direction of the figure before me. He glared at me as he curled his fingers around the blade and pulled hard enough to rip the knife from my hands. Shocked, lost for words and without the only weapon I’d managed to grab hold of, my decision to fight proved to be a foolish one. A roar of laughter mocked my attempts to defend my home.

‘She really thought she could take you,’ jeered a tall man who watched the action from behind.

The man, who was now in possession of my knife smiled before extending his tongue and licking the small droplets of blood that had formed in his palm. ‘Seems like the prettier they are the dumber they are.’ Now standing before me, he traced a lone finger along my jawline before gripping a handful of my long, blonde hair.

‘Get out of my house,’ I spat, pushing his hands away from me.

‘Did she say, her house?’ laughed the only man whose voice I hadn’t yet heard.

‘Yes, I said my house, you bastard. This is my house. Just because you attempt to steal something, doesn’t make it yours.’

Again, an effort to take hold of my hair was made. I resisted by stepping further back into my room. ‘I don’t think I like your tone and the last person’s tone I didn’t like,’ he rubbed the back of his hand against his beard, ‘well, let’s just say his tone was his downfall.’

I felt the Goosebumps rise on my skin with every word that slipped from his slithery grin. Giving up would have been the right thing to do, but how could I? ‘I’m not going to allow you to do this.’ My eyes wandered from person to person, trying to determine which one of the three was more likely to show sympathy.

‘I think we should keep her,’ said one of the men to the other.

What did they mean by keep me?

Scraggly fingers grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to him. ‘Is that what you want?’ he asked. ‘You want to stay here with us. I could think of a million and one things a girl like you would be good for.’

The look on his face, the tone of his voice and the evil in his eyes made my stomach turn. ‘No,’ I yelled, pulling my hand out of his grasp and kneeing him in the place that hurt the most.

His hands clung to his stomach as his face contorted with pain.

‘Bitch!’ he cried.

‘You okay, boss,’ the other two men came to his rescue.

I didn’t stop for long enough to give them time to think about revenge. Through the door I went, avoiding the elevator and taking to the stairs. Faster and faster I ran, holding my breath the entire way until. Gravity aided the contents of my pocket to leave a trail behind me. But there was no worrying about what I would or would not be able to eat; there was no stopping to reclaim my belongings. I needed to get out. I couldn’t allow them to catch up with me. A few more strides and one push of the sturdy glass door landed me on the same pavement where my parents stood with their arms wrapped around each other. My eyes met theirs and they released their hold from each other and wrapped their arms around me.

‘We told you not to fight,’ mother whimpered. ‘You’ll never know just how much you scared us. We thought…’

‘We thought they hurt you,’ dad interjected.

‘Of course they hurt me,’ I snapped. ‘They took our home. Now, we’re stuck out here with nothing. And you guys, you just put your hands up and surrendered.’

‘I tried to go back,’ dad promised. ‘But that guy standing guard at the parking lot, he wasn’t having it.’

‘He really did,’ mother assured me. ‘We both begged him to let us get you, but…’

‘It’s okay,’ I settled, not wanting to start a fuss about feeling neglected when I didn’t truly believe that to be the case. ‘Did you call the police?’

Mom waved her cell phone in the air, ‘no answer. With all the crime going on in this city, they’ve got their hands full.’

A small chuckle escaped me, ‘doing their jobs? They seem to be half the problem if you ask me. I just don’t get it. I don’t understand how they can just kick back and eat donuts while our city looks like this.’

‘I assure you Liv, no one’s kicking back at this point. More than half the officers in town have lost their jobs and the other half are either hard at work, trying to fight something much bigger than them or they’re fighting for their lives.’

‘How could things just disintegrate this fast?’

Mother ran her soft hands down my arm. ‘It’s been going on for a while dear. We’ve just been lucky enough not to experience it.’

She had a point. Having stayed indoors for the majority of the time, fiddling with my computer and working relentlessly at things that didn’t matter now, there was no way for me to see just how bad things were. Dad had picked up a few additional staff members and thus, taking care of the grocery shopping and other necessities was no longer left up to us. We weren’t completely oblivious to what was happening either. There were people in our building, who- just like us- had been tossed out by the gangs that roamed around during day and night. Our penthouse wasn’t targeted simply because dad had hired the security power to protect us. But eventually, it seemed as though no matter how much he paid them, it wasn’t enough. Or maybe they had families who needed them more than we did. Whatever the case was, we were left to fend for ourselves and thus, the inevitable happened. Just like the others in our building, we were tossed out onto the streets, without the slightest idea of where to go and what move to make next.

‘And now?’ I asked. ‘What do we do now?’

‘A hotel?’ Mom seemed uncertain with her suggestion.

Dad scrunched up his face as he considered the option. ‘We can try, but it’s quite a while away.’

Distance wasn’t dad’s strong point. Having never walked for more than two minutes at a time, unless he was on the treadmill, he had no idea how far the Marriot was when out of the security of his seatbelt.

‘Twenty minutes, at the most,’ I added.

Dad shook his head. ‘No. I’m pretty sure it’s much farther than that.’

‘Just trust me on this one, dad. I used to jog past there every morning so I would know.’

‘Okay,’ mother said, catching her long golden locks and securing them in a ponytail. ‘Let’s go.’

***

The scorching sun peered down upon us with retribution as we set out to find new accommodation. There wasn’t an ounce of hope left in the streets. With each step we made, it became more and more evident that the puzzle of perfection that we once fit into so well, was up in flames. Each face was one torn with misery; each mouth was one uncertain of how to be fed. Was this what life would be like? Would we soon need to join the few familiar faces which hung deeper and deeper in shame as we strode by? There were people just like us on the streets; people we knew hovered over the little they had and wishing they had more. At some point, like us, they did. But the forceful hands, the ones with no conscience, they had relieved them- and now us- of even the most basic items. Power was once set in one’s riches. However, now, power was left up to those bold enough to take it. The need for a gun wasn’t something we’d had. We were safe and when we felt the least sense of insecurity, we could afford to boost our confidence by hiring someone to protect us. But now, all had failed. The rich man’s world was up for the taking. Power belonged to the strong. Power belonged to those without a conscience; those equipped with no regard for wrong or right.

Weeks prior to being thrown out of my home, I’d seen the riots on the news. There were so many who felt as though they’d been wronged for their entire lives and that now, it was time to take what should have been theirs. I couldn’t understand the concept. ‘Hard work pays off,’ my dad would always say. But these people, they were angry that they sat around and allowed life to happen to them instead of working for what they truly want. The moment they realized that there was no one to protect the fortunate, they took to the streets in swarms, rejuvenated with all kinds of evil running through their minds.

‘What do you think will happen when all this is over?’ I turned to mother.

She quickened her pace and settled down beside me, breathing heavily with each word she said. ‘I think we’ll be fine. If we make it through to the end, we’ll be fine.’

Her words caught me off guard. ‘What do you make mean by make it through?’

‘Allison, now’s not the time to be grim,’ dad entered the conversation, scolding mom for her comment.

‘She asked me a question, Lewis, and I’m answering it honestly. What just happened to us, that’s the beginning of something much much greater. She need to know that.’

The constant shaking of his head was enough to determine that dad was growing irritated. ‘Really? Because right now, all we’ve got is whatever we managed to stick into our pockets. So there’s nothing more they can take. There’s nothing more they can do. But as for right now, negativity is not something that I want to hear from any of you. There’s no reason for it. All you’ll be doing is beating yourself down to the point where you don’t even feel like putting the energy into finding a solution and I won’t have that.’

I pushed a lone strand of hair out of my face. ‘I’m sorry dad, I didn’t mean to upset you.’

Mom grunted. ‘I don’t see what you’re apologizing for, if hope’s lost, it’s lost and that’s that.’

Dad’s eyebrow arch grew higher. ‘And is that what you think? You think all hope is lost because you’ve lost your home? Gimme a frickin’ break. Where I grew up…’

Mom cut him off, ‘this isn’t about where you grew up Lewis. You’ve lived a wonderful life for longer than you can remember so no, I don’t believe that you’re still accustomed to certain things. Don’t pretend that toughing it out will be a breeze for you, because it won’t. It won’t be a breeze for any of us and the sooner we accept it, the sooner we’ll be able to adapt to what’s ahead.’

‘Guys,’ I put my hands up, only to be overpowered by dad’s voice.

‘Ha,’ he snickered, ‘you’re something else. You’re really something else Allison. But no, not once did I say anything was fair, or that it would be easy. But I sure as hell am not going around acting like I’ve already been defeated.’

‘But you have,’ mom insisted.

‘Guys,’ I tried again.

‘This isn’t defeat. This is life. It gets rough. It sucks. But it’s up to you to make it better.’

‘Shut up,’ I yelled. There I was, in the middle of the streets, watching my parents attempt to rip each other apart. ‘The both of you just needs to shut the hell up.’

‘Don’t speak to…’ mom tried to scold me.

‘Don’t speak to my parents that way? Is that what you want to say, mom? Because you sure as hell aren’t acting like parents right now. I’m not sure where you think it’ll get us if you both decide to stand here and argue about who’s defeated and who’s not. Right now, the entire United States is in a pickle and moping about it isn’t going to help anyone. We’re five minutes away from that damn hotel, so let’s just get a room and figure something else out. As a matter of fact, let’s get two rooms so that I won’t have to sit and listen to you guys argue about nothing.’

‘Fine,’ mom established.

Dad’s face relaxed which was enough proof that he too wanted to move forward without fighting. I led the way, prompting my parents to pick up their pace. Time went by quickly, and soon, the gargantuan peach and white colored building was in sight. However, getting inside wasn’t as easy as expected. To the right of the building stood a large group.

‘What are they doing?’ mom asked confused.

‘Cashing in their food stamps,’ I answered irritated.

‘Oh seriously?’

‘No mom, not seriously. That’s the trash can, they’re probably waiting for the staff to toss out food so that they can go scavenging.’

A look of genuine horror was to be seen on mother’s face. ‘That’s horrible.’

‘Tell me you’re not just realizing that now,’ I said, pushing my way through the crowd.

Dad followed closely behind. Mom looked around for a while, seemingly shocked by what she’d seen.

‘Come on,’ I urged.

‘There’s Margaret,’ she yelled loudly enough for me to hear her over the chattering.

I watched as mom headed in the direction of the lady she thought she knew; a lady who was undoubtedly a lot different than she expected her to be. Mom reached out and tapped Margaret on the shoulders, receiving only an irritated shrug. I could see as she attempted to strike up a conversation but was shut down without a second thought.

‘Come on, mom,’ I yelled again.

With her elbows pointed to the side, she pushed any and everyone who was standing in her way. ‘Did you see that?’ she asked when she’d finally made it through. ‘She just acted like she had no idea who I was. I used to visit this lady’s coffee shop at least once a week.’

‘Mom,’ I tried to be as comforting as possible, ‘this is how everyone will start to act. They’ve lost their footing in life and it’s embarrassing, so seeing you all dressed up intimidates them.’

‘But it’s not like I’m better off than they are. Hell, I just got tossed out of my apartment by a bunch of scary looking men. I’m on the streets, just like everyone else here.’

‘Yeah. That happened to you today though. These people have been fighting for survival for days, weeks even.’ The glossiness of her eyes tugged at my heart strings. ‘It’s going to be okay, mother,’ I tried hard to sound reassuring.

‘I don’t want to end up like them,’ she said, her voice breaking with each word.

Dad’s anger towards mom subsided and he wrapped his arms around her. ‘We’re going to take care of each other. If anyone can get through this, we can.’ He pressed his lips against her forehead.

I waited for a minute, allowing them to have their moment of reconciliation before letting them know it was time to secure ourselves a room.

‘Oh, I just hope they’re not all booked out,’ mother said as hopefully as she could manage.

Together, we walked into the building, only to be whipped into a reality we should have expected.

‘This doesn’t look right,’ dad said, making his way to the counter.

I grabbed his hand, causing him to jerk back. ‘That’s because it’s all kinds of messed up. I’d say we need to be careful. Maybe turning around and leaving is a better option.’

‘You don’t think…’

‘Yes, I definitely do,’ I whispered loud enough for him to hear me but quietly enough to keep our conversation a secret from the onlookers.

Mother, who obviously hadn’t come to terms with what had happened outside of the building had her face coated with terror as another shockwave of dread presented itself.

Here is the link to The Unforeseen Enemy again.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15