Chapter 6

Dalton

It was a little harrowing to be pursued in broad daylight, but the adrenaline rush was hard to recover from. I was lucky, but my luck wasn’t going to hold out forever.

I remembered how I breathed a sigh of relief when she stood less than 3 feet away from me. She was adjusting the tie in the back of the bikini around her neck. Had she been staring straight ahead we would’ve come face to face.

I had stepped back and was immediately swallowed in darkness. That was my chance to leave while she was momentarily preoccupied by swimming underneath the water. I didn’t move from where I was standing. It felt like my shoes were stuck to the floor like cement.

Seeing her emerge like the living embodiment of a mermaid was nothing compared to the droplets of water dancing on her flesh. I was drawn magnetically to the buoyancy of her breasts and the quiver of her lips. I did gasp seeing those nipples perfectly outlined through the wet material of her bikini.

I knew I was trapped when she turned the lights on. I ran, but she was more of a match for me than anyone. I had already made sure the camera would reveal nothing.

I didn’t go through the first door. It would’ve been too obvious. I chose a room near the back of the property. It gave me time to bring the cameras back online using the tablet in my bag. The ones pointed at the lawn were still on a loop for the next few minutes.

I went out the window and let gravity do the rest. I was barely 30 and already I was feeling my age creep up on me. Things I’d taken for granted in the past were coming back to haunt me in the present.

I was a little out of breath, but I found my second wind when the security guards caught sight of me on the lawn. In my youth, there would’ve been no way for them to get their hands on me even briefly. I felt bad for breaking his nose, but it was a small price to pay for my continued freedom.

I made a circuit through the neighborhood avoiding a predictable path. I changed routes by going through the backyard of the neighboring houses.

I was finally on my motorcycle and I drove away calmly without attracting unwanted attention.

It was almost 6:00 PM and the sun was dipping dangerously low behind the trees. The streaks of light through the branches gave off an orange glow. The road in front of me was streaming with different colors from whatever leaves were still clinging to the branches.

The disgusting sludge of snow and mud on the side of the road was a reminder winter was approaching. Mother Nature was in the process of dying and being reborn in the Spring.

I found myself stopping at the Chinese restaurant and getting some takeout. The containers would join the ones already stinking up the Dumpster behind the motel.

I got back and I could see the light on inside. I shook my head in disbelief at how I had let time get away from me.

“I was going to ask you where you were, but it’s quite obvious from where I’m standing.” I raised the takeout, but Melanie had her finger up poised to keep me quiet. “I know exactly where you were, but I can’t understand the fascination you have with Gillian.” Melanie was glowing and she always got that way when she had found an unwilling victim to share her bed with.

“I thought it would help to have eyes inside until I realized we could tap into the Security System already on the premises. I was able to use the device you procured to give us a way to watch them without being seen.” She made me feel like I was naked under the glaring disapproval of her eyes.

“There’s no reason to make me feel like a fool. Did you really think I didn't notice the way the both of you were looking at each other during basic training and in Guam? I was waiting for the day when one of you would finally admit your feelings to one another. I would have bet the farm on something happening between the two of you.” I didn’t think I was that transparent, but a woman apparently knew the signs of infatuation better than anyone.

“I tried to ease my troubled mind by forgetting about her. All of those pent up dealings came back when I saw her trying on wedding dresses. I thought I was immune to such nonsense. The past has a funny way of tapping me on the shoulder when I least expect it.” I was back on solid ground with my feet firmly planted and still, I felt weightless thinking about her.

“I’m guessing this is the reason why you didn’t take me up on my offer for instant sexual gratification. I’m a little cross at you for not being completely honest with me. As I said before, you’re not the only fish in the vast ocean of men looking for a sure thing.” Her hair was in disarray and her makeup needed some finishing touches.

“I had to see her. I don’t know how else to explain it.”

“Do I even want to ask how close you came to getting caught?” There didn’t seem to be a reason to lie about it. I gave her the full story from the beginning to the end without stopping for a breather.

“I needed to see her again.”

“Security is combing the area looking for you. I thought I was going to have to intervene on your behalf. I came back to find you missing. It didn’t take much to figure out the person security was talking about, was you. It’s a good thing you weren’t seen and nobody got a clear look at your face. They will chalk it up to a prowler trying to find something to unload at a pawn shop for his next fix.” Melanie wasn’t complaining and I felt she was justified in wringing my neck for going out on a limb.

“It was pure luck and nothing more. I think you know me better than to rely on luck. I got a little carried away in the moment. It won’t happen again.” It had already happened twice and seeing her brought up memories of wanting to be with her.

“I can’t be sure you can be trusted. These feelings you have for her are only going to get in the way. I wish there was a way for you to find some closure. The best way to do that is to sleep with her. We can’t take the chance of anyone finding out you’re alive. It appears your feelings for her are going to go unanswered.” She wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know.

“We can’t just sit here and watch waiting for something to happen. We need to be proactive and look for a permanent solution. We bring her into this and all hell is going to break loose.” I couldn’t imagine what her reaction would be to see a dead man come back to life.

“I’ve been saying that from the moment we found out they were coming for us. You’ve been reluctant to show them your teeth. We can’t do anything until we make sure Granger is no longer being hunted. I have made some discreet calls to some of the places he had mentioned in passing during his time with us.” She wanted to cut out the middleman and handle this with the deadly precision of the Navy Seals.

“I remember the man I was and I have no interest in going back to fighting violence with violence.” I was emotionally scarred and I swore the day I picked up a gun would be too soon.

I had killed my fair share of the enemy that had their sights targeted on the United States. I was living on a prayer and I had learned the hard way confession was good for the soul.

“I am afraid it might come down to you becoming the man you have been trying to hide from. I knew there was something missing when I looked into your eyes. It flickered back to life when we were getting to know each other intimately.” She was bent over at the waist and I could see she was indeed going without panties.

The lips were still glistening from her mid-afternoon debauchery. They were swollen and some of her excitement was still staining the flesh of her inner thighs with red welts. The friction burn was going to take some time to heal, but it didn’t seem to affect her in any noticeable way.

“I can’t look into the mirror at my reflection and see that man looking back at me. I lose a part of myself every time I go to the dark place. One day, I fear I will never come back. Any senseless act of violence brings with it a necessary reaction of more violence. It’s a vicious cycle and I don’t want any part of it. I won’t use a gun.” It was selfish of me to think the actions of the past wouldn’t have consequences.

“I know you don’t want to hear this, but what we did has far-reaching complications. We thought what we were doing was securing our future. In reality, we were making it so that we were going to have to have eyes in the back of our head. The only way to finish this is to cut off the head of the snake.” She was painting an interesting picture worth more than 1000 words.

“Don’t you think I already know that? I went into hiding to protect all of you. I stayed away in quiet solitude to give them no reason to come after you. It would have worked had it not been for Conner. We agreed to certain terms and he went against the consensus. They had no idea that I had accomplices until Conner got careless.” I knew there was the possibility of one of us being less than honorable.

“We are all prisoners of our own hubris. Running away from my problems has never been my strong suit. I like to face things head on. I wasn’t always like that. That day changed me for the better. I no longer feel like I owe anybody anything.” There was something vacant in her eyes and apparently I had missed the dramatic change in her personality. It was possible I didn’t want to see it.

“I’ve been trying to avoid this, but it’s time we took off the shackles. We know who is coming after us. We also know they will never stop until they get their hands on what we took from them.” I hadn’t laid my eyes on my share in several months.

“I was going to ask where you are hiding your cut, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to know that information. There’s no telling how we are going to respond to torture. We’ve been taught how to endure through several different techniques, but we’ve never had to face the possibility of capture.” I had to keep Gillian out of the line of fire.

The only thing I wanted for her was for her to be happy. It didn’t matter who she had committed herself to.

“I have it in a safe place.” The safe deposit box was in a bank.

I had done my research to know which one was highly secured with necessary redundancies to make sure nobody got their hands on it.

“We need to leave, but it means either bringing Gillian in or leaving her to fend for herself against an enemy she doesn’t even know is coming for her. What do you think is the fair thing to do in this situation?” I was about to answer when I heard the jiggling of the doorknob.