Chapter 8

Dalton

I was waiting with by heart in my throat by the door, my gun drawn. I didn’t want to use it, but it was a matter of survival. I could tell from the look on Melanie’s face she was more inclined to pull the trigger before the person even stepped into the room.

Her finger was on the trigger not wavering and her eyes were glued to the doorknob. There was no sense in saying anything to give them a fighting chance. I could only wait until the lock was disengaged.

It opened to someone holding a six pack of beer over his face.

“I thought it would be best to bring a gift to prevent you from shooting me on sight. I’m afraid there’s a couple missing. I got thirsty on my way here. I couldn’t help myself.” He lowered the pack. Jackson was no longer in hiding.

“We told you to stay radio silent until we settled this thing.” He had a bushy beard and was wearing a green poncho.

“You know I get bored easily. There wasn’t even cable on the television. I could barely get one of the local stations. I got to thinking and I came to the realization this concerns me as much as it does the both of you. It’s unfair to make you do the heavy lifting.” He stood in profile until Melanie grabbed him and pulled him into the room.

“It looks like Conner isn’t the only one who doesn’t know how to take orders. We both know what happened to him. I would think you would want to do everything in your power to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen to you.” The motel room was getting crowded and we still had Granger out there playing fast and loose with his life.

“I’m just glad I didn’t find the both of you under the sheets. I believed it was just a matter of time. I’m still trying to recover from seeing a dead man standing at my door. Don’t get me wrong, you are and have always been a sight for sore eyes. I held out hope you were alive until they fished that corpse out of the water.” Jackson was a death wish away from seeing life from the inside of his eyelids.

“I don’t know where it came from, but it gave me a plausible exit strategy.” The body was unrecognizable with the hands missing most likely a snack for whatever creature resided in the ocean.

“This is half of the team back together again. It looks like Gillian hasn’t been invited to the party. Perhaps, it’s time to send her an invitation.”

“I know Dalton won’t say it, but you look like what the cat dragged in.”

“We all grieve in different ways and I find the best way to solemnly remember Conner is by saluting him with a drink.” He actually used his teeth to pry open three bottles and he held out the two of them to us.

“I know you have never liked to drink alone, but this is no time to celebrate. We’ve been letting them dictate how we react. I’m through giving them the satisfaction of having us running around like chickens with their heads cut off.” Melanie was all business and she didn’t even mention the elephant in the room.

“I will gladly have a drink with you to commemorate Connors life if you tell me how you found us. I’m not even sure I want to know the answer. Color me curious.” He was hesitant to do anything more than having a slug from the bottle vying for his attention.

“I could tell you, but you’re not going to like it.” He was in his element and there was a glimmer of the old Jackson stretching his limbs awake after a long and painful slumber.

“I’m sure that goes without saying, but I still want to know. The only way I’m going to get better is by you teaching me what not to do.” I was mocking him and he punched me in the shoulder hard enough to rattle my molars.

“I placed a tracker on you when you made me stay secluded in that cabin. Did I mention it smells like old spice and dirty socks? Have you ever considered hiring somebody to clean up the place once a week? The hygiene in your bathroom is atrocious. I had to bathe using the hose outside. It’s no wonder you are single.” He was one to talk.

My research had confirmed that he was still a bachelor living the high life with his parents’ money.

Melanie attacked him with a quick combination to leave him panting on his hands and knees. She began to punch him repeatedly in the kidneys. In his position, there was no way that he could fight back with any degree of success.

“As much as I enjoy seeing him get his ass kicked by you, I think you should give him a chance to explain himself. He probably has a good reason to come here. He better have a good reason or I’m going to start where you left off.” She was decisive and strong-willed, but she knew when to back off without going too far.

“That was scary and I didn’t even see it coming. I don’t know what you have been up to, Melanie, but I see a dramatic improvement. I put trackers on the both of you to know where you are in case I had to come to the rescue. You’re welcome.” He received a right cross hard enough to stagger him until he was sitting on the bed nursing his jaw.

“I don’t like how you took it upon yourself to make us look like fools. It doesn’t look like you are leaving anytime soon. I hope you’re going to make yourself useful. I’m going to give you one job you can’t screw up. Monitor the radio over on the table for chatter from those looking to put a bullet between our eyes.” She stormed out, slamming the door with the hinges barely staying together after her exit.

“That girl is wound too tight and is in desperate need of getting her some.” Jackson was known to sleep around with some of the locals and it was rumored he had a few kids he wasn’t going to acknowledge.

“She has no problem getting laid, but she does seem ready to explode. She is a tiger on the scent of her prey. Do you think that you can give her some room to breathe? It’s never been the easy way for you. You always want to do it the hard way.” He threw his hands up in defeat.

“I can’t express how I feel about getting the band back together again.”

“We might die and I can see the prospect of going out in a blaze of glory makes you smile. You’ve always said that one day a bullet with your name on it would find you. Admittedly, I could see you getting on the bad side of some local tough guys. You’ve always been about knocking down the biggest one to prove a point.” He was our demolition expert and knew his way around the makings of a bomb like the back of his hand.

He wasn’t even formally trained and was thrown into it like an idiot savant.

“It’s absurd to think I came all the way here to have you second guess me. Do you want to tell me why Gillian isn’t standing here with us? I know about your feelings for her and it shouldn’t even enter into the equation. She’s this close to getting her ticket punched and doesn’t even know there is a threat.” She didn’t know I was alive either and I was happy to keep her from finding out.

“She’s the only one of us who has found the person she is going to spend the rest of her life with. We can’t take that away from her. It would be cruel and unusual punishment.” She didn’t look happy when I was spying on her trying on wedding dresses, but it could’ve been last minute jitters.

It wasn’t uncommon for the bride to have cold feet. She was going to spend every waking hour with the same man for the rest of her life. It would stand to reason she would want to be sure about her decision to walk down the aisle.

“It’s not a good idea to make this personal. We all went into this with our eyes wide open. Nobody put a gun to her head.” As I recalled it, she was vehemently against going against the rules.

It didn’t take much convincing to get her to see how this could be her golden parachute. I was surprised by how easily every one of them was ready to commit a crime. We convinced ourselves it was a victimless crime. They were only going to use what we took to finance a campaign of terror. It was better in our hands than it was with them.

“We can’t begin to know what she is thinking. We have beaten this to death. Let us raise a glass to Conner and hopefully, he has found the peace he couldn’t find in this life.” We silently toasted to a fallen comrade in arms.

“Do you remember how he made everybody laugh? His jokes were so cheesy we had no choice but to fall into stitches. He sometimes had bad timing. He never could understand when the right time to make a joke was.” Jackson was digging up memories I had long buried.

“I have been watching all of you from a distance. I wanted to see what came of your dreams. I was happy to see you did open up a bar called The Seals. It’s a common dive where the locals can come and have a drink and listen to live music. I was there on opening night. I made sure you didn’t see me.” The sawdust on the floor and the cowboy environment wasn’t exactly my scene. Jackson wore his Texas pride like a badge of honor on his denim sleeve.

“I don’t know how it’s possible not to see you with that ring on your finger. You claimed it was good luck. You made us kiss it every time we were sent out on assignment. You are not the godfather.” It gave me a sense of peace to know it was there and I looked down reassuringly to find it missing from my finger.

I was in a blind panic looking around and then I slapped my forehead when I remembered where I last saw it. I needed to retrieve it before somebody found it. I went to the cameras and played back the portion in the pool area. This was after the cameras were active again.

“Don’t tell me you lost it someplace you shouldn’t have.” I wasn’t even paying attention to Jackson and my eyes were fixated on the maid picking up the ring.

“Lost what?” Melanie returned to the room, a bit calmer.

“My ring.”

“Oh shit.” Melanie gave me a look of disappointment. She knew I wasn’t exactly on top of my game because of my feelings for Gillian.

My worst fears were realized when she brought it to the attention of Grant. If that wasn’t bad enough, it was now in the possession of Gillian. I had to get it back, but to steal it would be tantamount to Gillian finding out the truth. I had to take the chance. I felt naked without it.

“I know that look and you are about to do something monumentally stupid. What you need is someone who doesn’t have a vested interest in getting your ring back. I don’t mind taking a few risks. Send me in coach and you won’t be disappointed.” I couldn’t believe that I was even thinking about giving him his marching orders.

“I have to believe you were sent here by the universe for a purpose. I can’t trust myself, but how am I supposed to believe you are the right man for the job.” I was debating on what to do and I heard somebody clearing their throat.

“Never send a man to do a job a woman can do. I found something interesting in the classified ads. The Hamilton family is looking for a temporary maid. I can keep an eye on her from the inside and get your ring back at the same time. I’m the only one out of the three of us who has changed by going under the knife. I’ll put on some contacts and change my hair.” It did take me a moment to recognize Melanie when she came knocking on my door at the cabin.

“I wasn’t going to say anything, but your nose never did fit your face. I thought it vain of anybody to improve on God’s image. I always thought it was our imperfections that made us unique. I get the feeling you did it for more than superficial reasons.” Jackson was very astute and tried to live his life by the simplicity of the Bible.

“I can blend in and stay out of her way. I’m not asking. I’m telling you how it’s going to be. I’m sure the both of you can hold down the fort. This way, I can be close when they come looking for her.” I was going to send her into the lion’s den, but she was always a bit of a chameleon. She was trying to save the day and I was inclined to let her. It gave me relief to know Gillian would have someone to watch her back in there.