Brute Justice (Justice Series) (3 page)

“Clint!”

Clint turned to Sam. “Look, I know your mom is upset, and I get that. But your dad’s got a right to know. And think about it… If the four of us are off chasing down this bastard, we need your dad to know enough about the situation to keep your mom safe. Maybe even Leesha’s mom and my dad…”

C’mon man. You know we need to tell him.

“Okay. Okay…” Sam sighed. As they drove to the nearest security system specialist, Sam filled his dad in on the rest of the story, including the kidnapping and murder in
Arizona
. He was surprised, when he was done, that his father was as calm as he was.

“So you can see through walls?”

“Yep.”

“And Lexi can walk through walls?”

“Yep.”

“And you saw this guy shoot the kidnappers? Why didn’t you stop him?”

“Well, it happened too fast. I didn’t hear him think about it. I just saw him do it.”

“Besides,” Clint interjected. “We were there to try and place some tracking devices on him. We didn’t want him to know we were watching him.”

“So you know where he is at all times?”

“Most of the time,” Clint answered. “As long as he’s got either his briefcase or his laptop with him. Hey Sam – we need to try and get over and place a device on his car.”

“Right. He ditched the rental, didn’t he?”

“Yep. Left it in Vegas when he figured it was a dead end.”

“Boys, this is an awful lot to comprehend in one sitting. I’m really proud of you guys for rallying around Charlie and his family, saving them. That’s really something.” Dan still shook his head in wonder.

“Thanks, Dad.”

“But I’m also glad you finally leveled with me, and I agree with Clint on the security system theory,” he said as they pulled up into the parking lot. “I want to do everything I can to keep us all safe from this guy.”

“You don’t have to worry about us, Dad. We can protect ourselves.”

“I’m not entirely sure about that.”

“Dad! Listen, Clint’s monitoring his movement at all times. Plus, I can hear him if he approaches-”

“You didn’t hear them today, Sam.”

“I know,” Sam bowed his head. “I let my guard down. It won’t happen again.”

“Sam, we didn’t expect the goons,” Clint piped up from the back seat. “We need to figure out how to follow his phone conversations, so we know what he’s planning. I’ll work on that.”

“Good idea. Anyway, Dad, if it comes to it - Lexi can disappear and run away. Leesha can totally immobilize him. And Clint, well, what can you do?”

“I can pretty much squash him like a bug, if I needed to,” he grinned, then sobered. “At least when I’ve got my powers. They’re still coming and going for now.”

Dan looked at Clint as they climbed out of the car. “How strong are you?”

“Wanna see?”

“Yeah…”

Clint bent down and picked up a rock out of the front landscaping and closed it in his fist. When he opened his hand, the only thing left was sand falling through his fingers.

Chapter Three

The guys spent about forty-five minutes in the store, speaking with one of the salesmen about different types of alarms. After much discussion, they opted for a security package with sensors for all of the windows and doors, a central control panel with a key pad and emergency distress button which instantly dialed 911, external motion-detection flood lights, plus surveillance cameras for the outside perimeter of the house. They bought three packages – one for each of their houses, and got ready to load up the SUV with their haul.

“Would you like to have a team of technicians come over and install the equipment for you?” the salesman said helpfully, most likely looking for added commission. “I’d be glad to set it up for you.”

Sam, no. I want to install this myself. The fewer people who know about this, the better.

Dan started to answer, but Sam interrupted him. “No thank you, sir. My friend here is good with electronics – I think we can tackle this ourselves. We’ll call if we run into any trouble.”

“Okay then. There’s a 24-hour help line, should you need it.”

“Thanks!” The three men headed out the door, bags in hand.

They loaded up the back of the SUV, and as they were climbing back in, Dan turned to the kids. “Are you sure we can handle installing all of this ourselves? The sales guy said he could send someone over to take care of it…”

“Yeah,” Clint said. “It’s an easy install. Plus, I don’t want anyone knowing we bought the equipment and where we live. If Blevins comes in to ask, they won’t have any information to give him.”

“Good point,” Sam agreed.

Dan turned onto the freeway to head back towards their side of town, and after about seven minutes, they found the three lanes of traffic were slowing to a crawl. Sam narrowed his eyes to try and see what was going on. The winter nights meant dark fell earlier, so neither Dan nor Clint could see much more than a line of red taillights ahead of them, the bottleneck clearly up ahead a couple hundred yards.

“What is it?” Clint asked, more in Sam’s direction than the Dan’s.

Sam was quiet for a minute. “I can smell gas, and hear something metal swinging… Hang on, let me get a closer look.”

He strained his eyes beyond the glare of taillights as they led uphill to an overpass. “It’s a semi that jackknifed on the overpass. The trailer part is blocking the traffic, and the driver is dangling in the cab over the left side of the bridge!”

“Is there anyone there to help him?” Clint asked, already reaching for the door handle.

Sam strained to listen for sirens. “I hear police cars, but they are a few miles away. Dad? Can you get us up there?”

“I can’t imagine how… Traffic is backed up and stopped. I can’t drive on the shoulder – it’s too narrow, and there are concrete dividers up ahead.”

“Come on, Sam. Let’s go. We can help.” Clint was already out the door, Sam just a few paces behind him, both in a dead sprint up the shoulder of the freeway.

“Wait! Guys…” Stunned, Dan could do nothing but throw the SUV in park and follow the boys. When they arrived, there was a mass of people standing in a semi-circle around the truck, a buzz of chatter and alarm filling the night’s air.

Sam looked down at the truck, turned on its side, skid marks and shreds of metal covering the road. The concrete barrier was broken where the cab pushed through, the front end of the truck perilously dangling on its hinge connecting it to the freight trailer. “Clint, are you still…?”

“Yes.”

“Good. We don’t have much time. I can hear the hinge on this thing starting to pull apart. The cab will separate at any moment. I’ll need you to move it back.” He motioned to Clint to pull and twist the rig’s bed as far as he could, lifting the cab high enough so Sam could reach the driver and get him to safety. “Dad, get the crowd back as far as you can.”

“Sure.” Dan turned and started corralling the people off to a safer, and lower vantage point. He was taken aback when Sam projected into his head: “Thanks Dad. Keep ‘
em
moving back. The less they can see, the better.”

“How much time do we have?” Clint asked, with many meanings behind the question.

“The police will be here in about two minutes, the cab’s getting ready to drop any second. Let’s do this!”

Clint reached down and grabbed the end of the semi trailer and lifted it up, gripping the metal edging under the rear doors. His face turned pink with the strain, but he was able to slowly move backward, heavy step by heavy step.

Sam peered over the edge of the broken bridge, the driver looking up at him through his open window. He could tell the truck was moving, and his face – slicked with a greasy, nervous sweat – was a mixture of fear and hope.

“A few more steps!” Sam yelled to Clint, watching him strain to lift and reposition the overturned rig. He then looked down at the driver. “Sir, we’re pulling you up. Are you free of your seatbelt?”

He nodded, yes. His panic left him speechless.

Sam watched the progress of the ascending cab, the window just a few short feet away from where he was laying down on the pavement, reaching his arm down toward the driver. The driver followed Sam’s gesture and reached his hand up to meet him, and with one final step from Clint, they found each other and grasped one another by the wrist.

Just then, Sam heard the screeching sound of metal as the last bits of connection pulled itself apart. The cab thudded to the ground below, leaving the driver dangling in Sam’s grip.

“Clint!” Sam projected. “I could use a little help here…”

He heard Clint drop the end of the truck and run to where Sam lay on the edge, his free arm and body braced against what concrete rail was left. Clint’s arms were longer than Sam’s, so he was able to reach down and grab the driver just below Sam’s hand and the two boys pulled him up to safety.

All three were breathless, the two boys hoisting the man to his feet, his legs rendered useless from the anxiety. They stood in silence for several seconds, trying to compose themselves.

“Are you okay, sir?” Clint was finally able to ask.

“I am now, thanks to you guys. How did you do that?” The driver looked around, trying to clear his head from the fog of panic which had set in. The police sirens were blaring closer, the crowd standing further down the hill peered up at the three in wonder. The scene was utter chaos.

When will the emergency vehicles be here?

“Police are twenty seconds from here,” Sam projected back to Clint. “Ambulance is about two minutes behind them.”

We need to slip out of here once we know he’s in good hands. Under the radar, Sam…

“Yeah,” Sam said silently, then jerked his head in the direction the sirens were coming from. “I’ll go get the police, bring them here. Can you take care of him?”

I’ll take him over to the shoulder where the crowd is. We can grab your dad and disappear from there.

Sam nodded and ran off to meet the approaching emergency vehicles.

Clint turned to the driver. “Are you hurt?”

“No.”

“Can you stand on your own?”

“I’m not sure I can.”

“Let’s move you further away from the rig for now, just in case. Here, I’ll help you…” The two walked down the overpass, closer to the crowd of onlookers. “Is there a doctor here?” he yelled into the crowd.

Clint was helping the driver sit in the grass when he heard a woman’s voice. “I’m a nurse. Can I help?”

“Yes, please.” He looked up to see a middle-aged woman with a kind face approach him. She knelt down next to the man and started asking questions, assessing for injuries and shock. In the distance, he saw Sam quickly approaching with the police. He turned back to the nurse. “The police are here, and an ambulance is on its way.”

By the time the police were crouching down to talk to the driver, the medics were sprinting down the hill with their jump kits. The emergency sirens all but drowned out the rest of the noise. Clint and Sam stepped back into the midst of the crowd and looked around to find Dan, who was working his way through the throng of curious motorists toward them.

“Let’s make a quiet getaway,” Sam projected to Clint and Dan, nodding towards their abandoned vehicle. They silently moved away from the flurry of activity. Once back in their car, Dan expertly maneuvered through the grass median and headed in the opposite direction to detour back to the
Dixon
house.

“I didn’t see any of what happened up there. Can you fill me in on what I missed? And why did you want to leave so quickly?” Dan had moved the crowd back far enough so no one was able to see the rescue, so now he was full of questions.

“You didn’t see anything?” Sam asked.

Thank God for that.

“Nope. How did you guys get him cleared? And what was the giant crashing sound?”

“It was the truck’s cab hitting the ground below. It broke free of the trailer and fell about a hundred feet.” Sam proceeded to fill his father in on the rescue details.

“That’s really amazing guys! You know you saved his life…”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“We wanted to get out of there,” Clint answered his other question, “because at this point we still don’t want anyone to know about our abilities. It was better to just slip away, no one knowing anything about us. The last thing we need is for the authorities to have our names and know what we are capable of.”

“Well,” Dan said, shaking his head, “I think you two did a wonderful thing back there. Very powerful stuff. I had no idea…”

They drove back in silence, engrossed in their thoughts about what just transpired, and wondering how much – if any – they would tell the girls once they returned.

Chapter Four

They pulled up to the house and parked. The ride home had been silent.

“What’s going on in there?” Clint asked out loud, more for Dan’s sake than Sam’s. But they all wanted to know what they were about to walk into. They’d been through enough drama for one night.

Sam looked inside the house. His mouth turned up at the corners. “They’re getting ready for dinner – plates are flying everywhere. I can’t tell who is setting the table – if Leesha is moving them, or if Lexi is invisible. Mom’s laughing, so that’s a good sign! They must have calmed her down some.”

“This, I gotta see!” Dan smiled, relaxed for the first time in a long while. They all climbed out of the car, grabbed their bags and headed for the door.

Inside, the kitchen television was tuned to one of the satellite radio stations, pumping in upbeat music the girls were singing and dancing to. At least the two girls they could see. Marcy’s smile was easy, her giggle quick to show relief. “Dan! You gotta see this… Lexi, show your father what you can do.”

“What?” Lexi said, appearing suddenly at her father’s side, smiling wickedly.

“Lexi! Stop it,” Dan jumped, his nerves still on edge from the activity of the road trip. “Don’t. Do. That. Again! I could have wet myself,” he said, but stifled a laugh. He was encouraged by the change of tone in the house.

Okay, so it took the Dixons about three hours to go from panic to acceptance. Not bad…

Clint smiled at Lexi’s mischievous humor, but kept those thoughts to himself. Walking over to Marcy, he asked, “Is there anything I can do to help, Mrs. Dixon?”

“Sure, Clint. Why don’t you start taking drink orders. Dinner’s almost ready.”

“What are we having?” Dan leaned to kiss his wife’s cheek in greeting.

“I’ve got a big pot of chili on the stove and skillets of cornbread in the oven.”

“Sounds great, Mom. Thanks,” Sam said, stacking his bags of electronics in the hallway, then reaching to grab his dad’s from him. Dan turned on the living room big screen to the evening news to catch the sports scores, and turned the volume low so as not to interrupt the lively banter.

The dinner conversation was light. None of the guys wanted to rehash the drama they encountered on the trip home, so were happy to let the girls babble about the show they treated Marcy to during their absence. Marcy finally started to see the amusing side of their talents, and while understanding their power, was embracing the novelty of it as well.

“So what do you think your next step should be?” Marcy asked, grabbing the tub of margarine.

Leesha looked up. “Well, I want to start looking for the two other teens in the
St. Louis
area, see if they’re connected.”

“I want to do more research on Sara Milligan,” Sam added. “I still think there’s some information we can get from her. Lexi, do you want to tag team on that one?”

“Sure!”

“And I want to get the electronics installed this weekend. We can start with your house after dinner.”

“After dark?” Marcy shot Clint a look of doubt. “I know you’re anxious, but…”

“I’ll help, Clint,” Sam nodded at him. “Plus, Mom… The dark’s no problem for me!”

The group laughed at Sam’s attempt to stand and look like a super hero, arms on hips, chin high in the air. Just then, Dan leaned back in his chair to listen to the story on the news.

“Uh, guys…”

Clint and Sam turned their attention towards the living room. The picture on the television was the scene they had just left – flashing emergency lights on the freeway, a semi-trailer sprawled across all lanes of the road. The reporter on the scene was interviewing the driver, seated in the grass at the accident site.

“I’m still pretty shaken, not sure how it happened. Next thing I know my truck is sliding in two different directions, and the front end crashes through the concrete barricade,” the driver said, hazy-eyed and mopping his brow. “I hung there for about a minute and then some teenager is yelling at me from up above, the truck starts moving, and he’s got me by the hand. I’m not sure how he got me out, but he and another boy pulled me up to safety. Saved my life, those two. I didn’t even get their names!”

The camera cut back to the reporter. “And there you have it,
St. Louis
. Another act of random kindness in our little city. Who says heroes don’t exist? Back to you, Tom.”

As the newscast continued from the anchor desk, the dinner clan had all gathered to watch in silence.

Lexi turned to the men. “What… Did you guys take a detour on your way back?!”

“Was that you?” Leesha narrowed her eyes, already knowing the answer.

“I knew it took you longer to get home than it should have!” Marcy added, swatting her napkin at the back of Sam’s head. “Okay, hot shots. Fill us in!”

Clint and Sam took turns telling the story. Dan just sat and listened again. He didn’t have much to add, since he hadn’t seen much from his vantage point. He couldn’t help but be proud, though, of what the boys had accomplished together.

After dinner had been cleared, Dan and the kids sat down to untangle the components of one of the security systems. Sam went to the garage to get the necessary tools and Clint picked up the installation guide.

Piece of cake. We’ll have this done in no time.

The floodlights went in first. Dan borrowed an extra extension ladder from a neighbor so both Sam and Clint could climb up against the side of the house to install the lights. Leesha stood on the ground below, hovering a flashlight over Clint so he could see what he was doing. Lexi stood inside the house, passing tools through the wall to Sam upon request. Every once in a while, she would stick her head and shoulders out too, to wave at her parents below.

Truth be told, they could have done this in the daylight hours without extraordinary powers, but the group liked having projects they could work on together. And Dan and Marcy enjoyed watching them experiment with their powers.

“We’re done with this one,” Sam yelled down at the onlookers. “Leesha, are you ready to try a new dismount?”

“Sure. What did you have in mind?”

Sam reached over to Clint’s ladder, jerking it quickly, sending him flying backwards. Marcy gasped in horror.

Leesha grinned, then mentally grabbed the ladder – now at a 45 degree angle – and slowly lowered it until Clint could disengage his feet and stand down on the lawn.

“Very funny, wise guy!”

“I don’t think it’s funny at all!” Lexi yelled at her brother, her head sticking out of the siding once again.

“It’s okay, Lex… It’s his turn now. Let’s see how he likes it!” Clint reached for the bottom of Sam’s ladder and pulled it away from the house and lifted it easily above his head, leaving Sam holding on for dear life in the middle of nowhere.

This
oughta
show him not to mess with me.

After the initial shock wore off, Sam was laughing as he descended the rungs. His mother, on the other hand, had her hands clasped over her mouth in fright. When he reached the bottom rung, Clint set the ladder down so Sam could dismount. A nervous giggle escaped Marcy’s lips as she looked up to see Lexi cheering from upstairs.

Leesha, on the other hand, was not amused. She pulled Clint off to the side and whispered to Clint, “Be careful. We don’t know when your powers are going to shut off again. You could have lost them while he was in the air!”

Holy cow. Back off a little.

“Okay, Leesha. I get it. But still… You could have caught him if I hadn’t.”

“Clint. Seriously, be careful.”

“Lighten up. We’re just having fun. And no one got hurt.” He turned to rejoin the group, ready for the next task.

I wonder what’s eating her…

It took them less than an hour to finish installing the security system, thanks to Clint’s electronics expertise, plus all of the extra hands. They decided to tackle the installation on the other two houses the next afternoon, in the sunlight hours.

Once they had all the trash put up and the tools away, they sat down in the living room to relax and visit. Marcy and Dan retreated to their bedroom to give the kids some space, feeling like they had camped on them enough.

“Well, I think that went well,” Leesha said. “Your parents seemed to adjust to the news fairly quickly!”

“Yeah, they’re usually pretty cool,” Sam agreed. “I wasn’t sure how much Mom would freak out…”

“You can thank us for calming her down while you were gone, bro,” Lexi shot Sam a look. “It wasn’t easy. She was pretty wigged out.”

“Well, whatever you girls did, it worked,” Clint said. “I definitely want to tell my dad, but think I may need you two to smooth it over with him.”

“What about me?” Sam scoffed, appearing to be offended.

“Eh. I guess you can come too,” Clint half shrugged, pretending not to care, grinning sideways at him.

Oh crap! It’s gone…

The group continued to chat easily, but no one noticed Clint had quieted considerably with the sudden absence of his powers. He sat there and stewed in silence.

Sam noticed it first. “What is it?” he projected to Clint.

My powers. They’re gone.

“Are you sure?
 
How can you tell?”

My muscles ache when it’s over. Like they’re tired.

“Dude… I’m sorry. But they’ll come back. I promise.”

I know.

Sam and Clint sat there in silence, listening to the girls as they planned the meeting time for tomorrow’s installations. They were going to take care of Leesha’s house first, as her mother had once again disappeared for the weekend. Then they would finish at Clint’s, with the hope his dad would be done with his work shift towards the end of the afternoon. If he was, they would all sit down and talk to him then.

Leesha stood up to go first. “I’m going to head to the house and see if I can get a little research done on the other teens. I’ll let you guys know what I find tomorrow when we meet.”

Clint stood up too, understanding the cue to exit. “Yeah, I guess I’ll head too.”

As Leesha’s car was backing out of the driveway, Lexi followed Clint to his cycle. He hadn’t heard her approach. “Clint. Are you okay?” she said quietly.

“Oh hey, Lexi. Yeah. I’m fine. Just tired.”

“Did you lose them?” she asked, instinctively knowing.

“Yeah.” He couldn’t even meet her eyes.

She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck, pulled him into a hug. “I continue to struggle with frustration every time mine leave me,” she leaned back and looked into his dark eyes, hers filled with sympathetic tears. “Believe me though, each time they last a little longer. And eventually they’ll stick for good.”

“I know. Thanks.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No. I don’t think so. Well…”

“What?”

“I could use another one of those hugs, if it’s not too much to ask.”

She smiled, her green eyes sparkled up at him. This time she nestled her nose into the crook of his neck, and he held on just a little longer.

Man, she feels good. I don’t even care that her brother is yelling at me from where he’s watching…