One Dark Wish, page 40
Vane waved a hand. “What about Sarah?”
“She died.” Nate’s voice became softer than slippers on carpet. “When Cassio rescued her from the hide site, he had to do CPR to get her heart started. Technically, since she died once for solving the cipher, she fulfilled the terms of the contract and will be allowed to live her second chance.”
“Jeez, Nate,” Cain said, throwing his phone onto the pillow next to him. “How did you find her? That cemetery wasn’t just dark as shit, it was freakin’ huuuuuuuge.”
Nate let Zack tell the story about polar coordinates and Thomas the Compass Rose.
When Zack finished, Ty added, “We did math. Hard math.”
“Did Etienne kill those bankers from Charleston?” Luke asked.
“I know Etienne killed the banker found on the Isle of Grace. And that he was involved in the O’Malley Pub murders.”
“Fuck me,” Cain said. “The O’Malley Pub murders made national news.”
Nate nodded. “That was Etienne’s operation until it was interrupted by Sarah’s father Joe Munro and Detective Waring. They, in turn, were interrupted by the Fianna. As far as the murdered banker in Charleston who was found with my medal? All I know is that it was a Remiel kill. I’m just not sure which of Remiel’s minions did the deed.”
Calum finally turned to face them all. “What’s happening out on the isle now?”
“To make everything look legit, Jimmy called in the SPD,” Garza said. “Jimmy also told me that when Etienne doesn’t show tomorrow, his brothers will search for him.”
“What about Etienne’s body?” Zack asked.
“We moved Etienne next to the two Russians Pete, Zack, and Ty killed.” Garza crossed his arms and looked away. “Did you know there are boars on the isle?”
“Are you saying”—Zack swallowed hard—“that the boars, uh—”
“We have feral hogs in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. They do the same thing. They clean up. Even if they don’t finish, it’ll be clear to the investigators that the Russians—and Etienne—were eaten by wild animals. There’s nothing left to investigate.”
“Their weapons? And other evidence of a gunfight?” Kells asked.
Zack tried not to laugh. That question was classic Kells.
“Jimmy and I cleared the scenes as best we could in the dark. It’s pouring out there now, and that should muck things up. The cemetery is large, and since we moved Etienne’s body, no one will know where he was shot. Even if Etienne’s brothers find his body, and other evidence, it will look like the Russians killed him. Luckily, thanks to Nate, we have Etienne’s weapon. That will prove he murdered that banker on the isle.”
“Are you the lead on the case?” Calum asked Garza.
“Yes. I’m confident that, in a few days, the investigation out there will wrap up. I also got a call from Maurice, the auction manager. He dropped the assault charges against Nate. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you, Calum?”
Calum smiled at Nate. “Possibly.”
“Detective,” Kells said, “will Detective Waring still want to talk to Nate about the Charleston murder victim?”
“He was killed the same way as the one out on the isle. Even though we can’t ID an actual killer, I’m sure we can tie Etienne to that death as well. Like Nate said, even if Etienne didn’t do it, it was still a Remiel kill. And while it’s true that Detective Waring knows too much about Nate, that’ll make it easier for him to believe that Nate lost his medal in a POW camp.” Garza gripped Nate’s shoulder. “I’ll call Detective Waring tomorrow and take care of it.”
Zack scoffed silently. That victim had been Allison’s husband, and Zack’s emotions were still in free fall.
“Waring won’t let this go,” Kells said.
“I’ll talk to Waring,” Garza replied in a firm voice that said no contradictions allowed. “My worry is Remiel’s next move. Does anyone have any idea about that?”
“All I know,” Pete said from beneath his arm, “is that Sarah went all in on solving that cipher, even when everyone told her not to, and gave us a win. By knowing how to find those hide sites, she’s taken them out of play for both the Prince and Remiel.”
The men murmured their agreement and their admiration until Zack said, “The murdered man in Charleston is Stuart Pinckney.”
It took Kells a minute, but when his eyes widened, it was clear he’d made the connection. And then the rest of the male choir chimed in with questions and concerns.
But Nate was the one who put a hand on Zack’s shoulder. “Allison’s husband?”
“Yes.”
“Is that a problem?” Garza asked the room.
“I don’t know,” Kells said to Zack. “Is it?”
“No. But I’d like permission to check on her.”
Kells nodded. “No physical contact. Got it?”
“Yes, sir.” It was more than he could’ve hoped for.
“You can take my bike,” Pete said. “Just don’t get a ticket.”
The doctor poked his head in. “Nate? Sarah’s awake.”
Nate left, and the rest of the men stretched and moved, all of them—except for Kells and Calum—talking about breakfast.
“We should eat and return to the gym,” Vane said in that all-knowing way of his. “We’ve got a lot to do today.”
As the men left, Luke handed Zack the legal pad he’d been writing on. “Remember you asked me to talk to Charlotte and Abigail about the night of the ambush? They called me because neither wanted to send anything by email. I wrote down what they said. I hope it helps.”
“Thanks.”
“Oh, and Vane contacted you-know-who.” Luke looked behind him. Kells was still talking to Calum. “She said she’d be in touch.”
Vane talked to Kells’s wife Katherine? “In touch with you?”
“No. With you.” Luke left the room, shaking his head.
Wonderful.
“Zack?” Kells came over. “I need an executive officer.”
XO? The air rushed out of Zack’s lungs, and he gripped the chair next to him. “Why?”
“Because in six hours, two MPs are picking Nate up and taking him to Maine. He’s returning to the prison hospital.”
Chapter 51
Sarah sat in the giant bed, surrounded by beeping medical equipment. Tall windows overlooked the garden below and the river beyond. Nineteenth-century furniture and rugs decorated the room. She was in a hospital gown, and her hair was a mess. She vaguely remembered taking a bath and having her hair washed. But she must’ve gone to bed with it wet.
The clock said six a.m. Although she was exhausted, a mind niggle told her there was something she needed to do.
Nate entered. Before she could move, his arms were around her, his kisses on her face, her lips, her hair. He sat on the bed so he could lean against the headboard, stretch out his legs, and cradle her in his arms. She lay partially on top of him, her head on his chest, beneath his chin. She loved his warm, solid heartbeat. “Where were you?”
He pointed to the loveseat near the window with a pillow and blanket. “I was sleeping there but needed to talk to my men.”
“About not going to prison?” He kissed her hair, and she raised her head. “I’m not giving up. We have the cipher. Someone somewhere must be willing to trade for it.”
“Sarah.” He kissed her lips. “There’s nothing anyone can do.”
Her eyes burned, and she tasted salt. She wrapped her arms around him, desperate to breathe in his scent until it became her own. “Run away with me. Calum has money. He’ll help.”
“If I run, the rest of my men go to prison.”
She pressed herself closer until all of her was touching all of him. “I don’t care.”
“Just let me hold you until I leave.”
She stifled her cry, and they tightened their hold on each other. She was never, ever going to let him go.
“Sarah?” he whispered into her hair. “I love you.”
“Oh, Nate.” The sob escaped, along with a rogue tear. “I love you too.”
* * *
Nate closed his eyes and held Sarah until she fell asleep and his arms went numb. Until the sun rose higher in the sky and he smelled coffee wafting up from the dining room. Until short shadows turned to longer ones and he heard a knock on the door.
“Come in,” he said quietly.
The door opened, and Zack came in and stopped a few feet away. “It’s time.”
Nate disengaged himself from the woman who was now his entire world. Her hair was spread out across the pillow, her face covered with bruises and scratches that the doctor said should heal quickly. He laid a white throw blanket on top of her. After kissing her head and breathing in her gardenia scent for the last time, he took the handkerchief out of his pocket. He placed it in her hand, and she involuntarily clutched it to her breast.
Zack gripped Nate’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
Nate nodded and wiped his face with his forearm. Sorry was such a useless, meaningless little word that left blood everywhere it went. “So am I, Zack. So am I.”
* * *
When he got downstairs, Calum and Garza were waiting for him. Zack stood by the front door.
Nate spoke to Calum first. “Tell Jimmy, Pops, and Grady that I appreciate everything they’ve done for us. And that I’ll miss them.”
Calum shook his hand but wouldn’t let go. “Carina wanted to be here to say goodbye, but she’s in Washington doing senatorial things.”
“I doubt she’s interested in my issues.”
“My twin might be a bitch, but she has a heart. She just keeps it hidden in an iron safe surrounded by barbed wire. Besides”—Calum tilted his head and half smiled—“she has this crazy idea that I hired you, and the rest of your men, to watch over me. As the oldest by eleven minutes, she’s overprotective and doesn’t like it when she thinks I’m in trouble. She’s quite upset about you leaving me unprotected.”
Nate laughed. He’d not known that Carina was older than Calum, but it didn’t surprise him. “Tell Carina…not to give away her power.”
“I will.” Calum gripped Nate’s shoulders, and his eyes shone. “I’m going to try my best, legally, to get you free.”
“This is out of your jurisdiction, Calum. Oh, and please say goodbye to Miss Nell for me.” Nate closed his eyes and struggled to get the words out. “And watch over Sarah. She loves strawberry pie.”
“I promise.” Calum hugged him before handing him off to Garza.
“Take care of yourself.” Garza stuck out a hand. “I’ll miss you.”
“Me too,” Nate said as Ivers appeared to drive him and Zack to the gym. “Me too.”
* * *
This is much harder than I’d thought it’d be.
Nate stood in the gym’s classroom. A duffel sat on the floor. It’s not like he had much, and he certainly wouldn’t need much. All of his men were there, and once he’d said goodbye, the MPs would take him away. They’d agreed not to cuff him until he got to the car. Then they’d start the car ride up to Maine.
He went down the line shaking hands and clapping backs as if he were just being deployed for an indefinite amount of time instead of going away for seventeen years. Which might as well be forever.
“Remember,” he said to Luke, who could barely look at him. “Weekly movie night for the men. And the bowling league on Sundays. A few things to keep us—you all—together.”
“Got it,” Luke said. “And we’re going with the laundry service you chose.”
Nate wanted to laugh at their conversation but was afraid he’d lose it. He’d spent years with these men in some of the worst combat zones in the world. And now they were talking about movies and bleach.
When he got to Pete, they just hugged. Hard. They’d been through so much together, there were no words.
Zack stayed still with his hands in his jeans. “This sucks.”
“I know.” Nate exhaled. “You’ll be a great XO. Just remember, you’re in charge. Don’t let the men push you around.”
“I’ll be sure to tell Kells.”
Nate said goodbye to Cain, Ty, and Vane, and even Alex shook his hand. Suddenly, the door swung open, and Samantha raced into the room and threw herself into his arms. She wore a black-and-purple sundress and had dyed her hair with purple streaks. He hugged her tight. She was crying and unafraid who saw. “Please don’t leave us,” she said into his neck.
“I wish I didn’t have to.”
She released him and then kissed him on both cheeks. “You saved my life, Nate Walker. As well as Juliet’s and Sarah’s. I’m going to make sure no one forgets that.”
Pete came over and took her hand, knowing that if he didn’t, Nate might never make it out on his own. Nate grabbed his duffel and left the classroom to see Kells.
Kells was in his office, staring out the window at the closed-up T-shirt place across the street. “I’m sorry.”
Nate wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly. “None of this is your fault.”
“Isn’t it?” Kells half-turned toward Nate.
“No. All of this is, and always has been, my fault. I need to take the punishment.” Although, despite the gravity of his sins, losing Sarah and being banished seemed overly harsh and unjust. But that was just his opinion.
“I’m doing everything in my power to save you and Jack and the rest of the men. You also need to know that Jack didn’t want to accuse you. I made him do it.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t have the courage to do it myself.” Kells finally looked directly at Nate. “I didn’t want to, but I blamed you. And in dumping most of the blame on you, I was able to make a deal and get the other men’s sentences reduced from life in Leavenworth to twenty years in Leedsville.”
Nate sucked in a roomful of air. Kells had betrayed him. To protect the rest of the men. Because that’s what Kells did.
“Although”—Kells’s sigh carried exhaustion and worry—“considering the state you were in when I rescued you, I thought the prison hospital was a better choice than the U. S. military’s prison at Leedsville.”
Nate looked away. He understood, but not really. Instead of digging into the pain, especially since Kells was apologizing, he studied the wall. The map of Afghanistan had been taken down and put in the back room. They were bringing order and discipline to their ranks. That alone told him they’d be okay. That alone gave him peace.
But there was one last thing. “Sir, I mentioned this before, but now that the Fianna have made themselves known—”
“I know. Secrecy or death. And I understand why you couldn’t say anything the other day. I just wish—” Kells sighed and handed Nate a tin from the desk. “Pops said this tea was helping your headaches. I thought you could take it with you.”
“Thanks.” Grateful for the subject change, Nate took the Chocolate de Paris tin and packed it. He also had the tea bags Sarah had made for him. “I’ll never forget you. Nor Jack or any of our men.”
Kells rearranged the files on his desk, then shoved pencils into the tomato soup can he used as a holder. “They’re here. I’ll walk you out.”
Nate left the office, carrying his duffel, and when he saw the MPs standing there in full uniform with their sidearms, his legs wobbled. But he held his head high and left Iron Rack’s and Savannah and Sarah. Forever.
* * *
Sarah curled up on the couch Nate had slept on and watched the sun lower. He’d disappeared, and she didn’t know whom she was angrier at: him for leaving without saying goodbye or herself for falling asleep.
She heard a knock. “Come in.”
A man wearing khaki combat pants, a white T-shirt, and combat boots entered. He was exceptionally tall and wide, but it was his short, ginger-colored hair and day’s worth of stubble, along with his intense brown eyes, that made him so intimidating. He dropped a backpack on the floor and carried over a dressing chair. He sat and stared at his clasped hands.
“You’re Kells.” No point in being vague or polite.
“Yes.”
“Is Nate gone?”
“He left earlier.”
Now it was her turn to study her hands. She wanted to scream, but that wasn’t going to help her case. “How could you send Nate to jail?”
“I didn’t send him. He was sent.”
Kells was playing word games? That just irritated her even more. “I know you have high-powered contacts. That’s how you got him free to start with. Please. Talk to this person.”
“The decision can’t be changed.” Kells stood to pace, his long legs eating up the floor in both directions. “I spoke with Doc Bennett. The herbal tea you made for Nate helped.”
She adjusted the blanket over her lap. “It helped my father too. Even though he can’t drink it because he’s still in the psych ward.”
“The doctor would like to see the recipe. It’s possible that reviewing the contents of the tea might help him ID the compound that’s making Nate sick.”
“I’m seeing the doctor later. I’ll give it to him.”
Still, Kells paced. She was familiar enough with men to know when they had something else to say but couldn’t find the words. Finally, he took a Ziploc bag out of his backpack and handed it to her. It contained Rebecca’s diary, her mother’s copy of Othello, and the map that’d brought her and Nate together. She opened the bag and removed the map to find a circle with perpendicular lines on the other side. “What’s this?”
“Your hide sites.” After explaining how radians worked, he said, “Nate discovered four coordinates in the diary, but we know there are more.” Kells pointed to the moldy book. “You’re the only one who can help us. We need you to read what else is in there. Calum said he’d give you whatever restoration money is necessary.”
