Society Rules (44 page)

Will shook his head as he folded his phone shut with a click.

Nick was going to do what Nick was going to do. He just hoped that he would back off and leave Baker to him, when the time came. He pulled into traffic, searching the side streets as well, as he waited to hear back from Nick.

It took Nick less than six minutes to find Shawn. The town was small, and Nick had phoned two of his buddies who were also on duty, taking care to avoid the police radio. He had asked them to casually look for the described car, for an “unofficial” reason, and they had happily obliged.

As soon as Shawn Baker was spotted barreling down US 2, Nick phoned Will and then flipped on his lights and siren. After all, the guy was legitimately speeding, and looked as if he could use a fast driving award. He watched with a little perverse pleasure as Shawn glanced into his rear view mirror, first in disbelief, then frustrated anger.

Nick smiled. He might even enjoy this.

Shawn pulled to the side of the road with an impatient snatch of the wheel, and then broke all protocol by immediately leaping out of his car and storming towards Nick’s patrol car.

Captain Broccato’s brow darkened in disbelief at the sheer audacity of this move. He looked out of his window, outraged, as he grabbed his clipboard and ticket pad. Shawn was shouting furiously at the still closed door of the car, when Nick abruptly flung it open and hurled himself out and into the much smaller man’s face.

Shawn took two long steps back as the police officer towered over him in a most intimidating fashion.

“You got a
problem
, pal? Don’t you know better than to approach a police officer in a threatening manner? I coulda blown your friggin’ head off! You get the Hell back in your car, Jack, and you stay there until I come to
you,
you got it?” Nick bellowed, furious now.

Nick had to acknowledge that perhaps knowing that the guy was a traitor to his partner had gotten under his skin.

Maybe just a little. But, still, to rush his cruiser like that was not going to be tolerated.

Shawn suddenly felt very small. His usual cocky manner deserted him as he tried to find his voice. He jumped as Nick barked out again.

“Did you hear what I said, guy? Get back to your
CAR
!”

He felt his legs turn and begin to carry him very quickly back to his vehicle, and he sat down behind the wheel, a little shakily. Damn, but this was easily the biggest dude he had ever seen. He took deep breaths as he waited, feeling some of his fear begin to evaporate.

How could he let this cop talk to him like that? Just wait until he showed him
his
credentials. Then the shoe would be on the other foot, by God. He would have
him
shaking in his boots.

Crossing his arms, he tapped his head on the back of the seat and waited impatiently. What the hell was taking so long? He ventured a look back, and the cop instantly looked up and met his stare.

Shawn looked quickly away.

Nick was on the phone with Will. “I’m just writin’ this guy up a nice two hundred and fifty dollar speeding ticket. The ass was driving like . . . well, like an
ass
!”

“Fine then. Hurry up and nail him,” Will chuckled. “And Nick . . . thanks man. I owe you!”

“Yeah, you can bring me some of that snobby beer of yours. I think a twelve pack should cover it!”

“If I make it through this, I’ll bring you a case, and you can party with your sisters.” Will spoke with feeling.

Nick was silent. He didn’t like the feeling he got from Will’s words.

He then spoke soberly. “Ok, Will, just park it out of sight right around the bend, here. The curve is good. You’ll be able to see us, but we can’t see you. You pull out as soon as you see me get back in my car, right?” He paused, uneasy with the instinct that flooded his gut.

“Are you sure you got this? I don’t feel so good about leaving you to something that might . . .”

“I got it, Nick. There’s no way around it. I have to handle this one on my own. I promise, I’ll tell you all I can about it one day.”

“Alright,” Nick sighed. “But if things go bad, you got my number, right?”

“Thanks again man. I really appreciate that.” Will so wished that he could confide in Nick right now. He had never felt so alone.

He pulled up to the curve in the road and stopped. Sure enough, he could see Nick’s cruiser parked to one side, and the tail end of Baker’s car just ahead.

Will watched with mirthless humor, as Nick strode to the side of Baker’s car. He could just make out the muffled sound of Baker’s blustering protests, and thinly veiled threats, something to the effect of the classic “do you know you I am?” routine.

He cringed just a bit as Nick’s voiced clearly bounced off the mountains as he shot back at Baker. “I don’t care if you’re the friggin’ Pope,
Agent
Baker
! You don’t speed down my roads, right? You could kill someone!”

Will snorted into his coffee cup, spraying liquid everywhere. He sure hoped Baker had brought some extra underwear with him today. No doubt, he probably needed them just about now.

His cell phone rang sharply, and he snatched it up quickly, not wanting the sound to carry. It was his mother.

Will groaned. She always had the worst timing. He knew he should answer, though. She had the kids. What if one of them was hurt?

“Hey, Mom, what’s up?” Will answered, keeping a sharp eye on the tantrum-throwing agent up ahead. His face froze in horror, as he decoded the shrill and angry voice of his mother, chastising him for sending “that horrible woman” to pick up her grandbabies.

Will’s voice was like ice. “When did she leave with them, Mom?”

“I guess about fifteen minutes ago. I tried to call you before they left, but the phones wouldn’t work, and I wasn’t going to let her take them, but then when Cassidy told me you said someone might get them, I figured it was ok, but I don’t like . . .”

“Cassidy told you
what
?” Will cut her off, confused.

“She said that she was supposed to tell me that someone may come get them for you. Is that not true, Will? Why would she lie to me about a thing like that?” Marie was beginning to sound hysterical.

“Calm down Mom, it’s ok. Don’t worry, I will get them. I have to go now. I’ll call you.” Will’s throat was stretched so tightly with fear, he was amazed that he was able to complete his last sentence. He didn’t want his mother to suffer guilt and terror along with him, but for just a moment, he felt that the series of events in the last forty-eight hours had suddenly become just too much to bear.

His life, as he had known it, was over.

Indie was gone, and he knew he would never have her back, no matter what happened. And now, his children were in the clutches of a psychotic monster, who, for some unexplainable reason, Cassidy had told her Grandmother that it was ok to let them go with the beast.

It made no sense at all, and Will felt himself beginning to sink into despair. Karma, as it turned out,
did
in fact exist, and was exactly the bitch it was reported to be.

The echoing sound of a car door slamming jolted him back to life.

A defibrillator to his stopped heart.

He saw that Nick was back in his car, and Will felt a sudden surge of furious and righteous energy as he started his car and pulled into the road.

He came around the curve just as Shawn was preparing to pull out, and with a quick decision, Will accelerated swiftly and slammed his truck into the Sentra, avoiding the driver’s seat area, aiming for the front of the car.

Will had just enough time to note the matching shocked expressions on the faces of both Nick and Shawn, just before the airbag exploded in Shawn’s face. Will tried to jump out of his truck, but found that his door was jammed, and would not fully open, pressed as it was, into the Nissan. Undaunted, he leaped out of the side window, taking a moment to note that his truck was barely injured by the impact, and was most certainly still drivable.

The same could not be said of Shawn’s car. It was going nowhere under its own power. Will looked back at the stunned face of Nick, and shouted. “Go Nick, you’ve got to get out of here, please! It’s okay, trust me!”

Nodding speechlessly, Nick started his car, suppressing a sick feeling of foreboding in his belly. He did trust Will, and decided to keep his promise in spite of his feelings, and pulled out into the street and drove away, much to the dismay of Shawn Baker, who had finally beaten back the airbag and was struggling to climb out through the passenger door.

He opened it and felt himself slammed to the ground with an astonishing force, then quickly flipped over onto his back before he could form coherent thought. All he could see was Will’s face.

“WHERE
ARE
MY
KIDS,
YOU
SICK
SON
OF
A
BITCH!”

Chapter 25

Jackson carefully guided the Mercedes down the winding, twisting road that led down the mountain. He released the hand that he clung to so tightly, after giving it a reassuring squeeze, so that he could block the searing beam of sunlight from his eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Indie holding out his sunglasses, and he took them, gratefully.

Reclaiming her hand, he lifted it to his lips to brush a soft kiss against her wrist.

He was struggling valiantly to sort out the unfamiliar barrage of information forcing its way into his brain, like an overwhelmed inbox. Most Society Members get a very early start in learning their abilities, and how to use them. However, he, at the ripe age of 40, had only just been exposed to the full scope of his gifts, and he still had a lot to get used to.

It was most unfortunate, Jackson decided, that a somewhat urgent situation had shown itself so early in the process.

Yes, he had been told what to expect and had all the teaching, but the actual experience was something altogether different.

He still wasn’t sure how crazy he was about the open book that he once called a mind, fearing that Indie would pick up on the fragments and images coming to him, and read too much into his reactions, before he could sort them out. Jackson wanted desperately to protect her from some of the more disturbing things that had begun to push their way to the forefront of his thoughts.

Cutting his eyes to the right once more, to sneak another peek at her, he felt a rush of overwhelming love for Indie that made his breath catch in his throat. She was staring out the window silently, no sign of stress in her posture.

She, at some point, had locked herself back up into her protective cocoon. Her thoughts were silent. He also knew that she had done this quite inadvertently, and wasn’t even aware of the fact at this very moment. There was a small twinge of envy felt for her particular gift, only for the fact that he could not protect her from his own knowledge.

Indie turned to look at him and covered their intertwined hands with her free one, and spoke firmly; “I am forcing myself not to intrude on your thoughts uninvited, because I can feel your discomfort, but you simply don’t have to protect me from your thoughts, Jax.”

He looked at her, and spoke thoughtfully. “You are so strong. The fact is,
I
am the one with the training for focus and control.
I
am the one who had thought I’d mastered my emotions, and yet
I
am the one struggling. But there you sit, so calm and so sure. How is that possible?”

“Because I trust you implicitly. Whatever comes our way, I know that you and I will deal with it. And believe me, I was trying to work myself up into a state of terror, but my body just won’t cooperate. Therefore, I give up. I have put myself into the hands of fate and Jackson Allen, wherever that takes me.”

“Well, I guess I
should
be happy to hear that,” he laughed to himself. “I just hope I don’t let you down.”

“You won’t. I won’t let you. Now, what exactly is our plan?” Jackson let go of Indie’s hand and gripped the steering wheel tightly now, as he answered.

“I just want to start at Will’s house and have a look around. I just have a feeling that this should be our starting point. But if Will is there, we will ditch the car and I’ll see if I can get close to the house and find out what he may be planning.”

Indie looked out the window once more before speaking. “Jax, I don’t want a confrontation of any kind . . . .”

“Oh, not to worry. I don’t fancy Will having a go at me either!”

“Is that Brit-speak for ‘I don’t want to fight him?’” Indie smiled in spite of herself. She loved his way of speaking.

“Yeah, that would be the translation. Will’s in good shape. I might not be up to the challenge!” His voice clearly conveyed the fact that he did not believe that he would have any problem taking on Will at all

. “Don’t worry, because this is not going to happen, understand?”

“Yes, ma’am. And don’t
you
worry.” Jackson relaxed just a little. Indie’s calming influence was pulling him in. Making him focus.

“Do you have the same feeling that I do? That Will is not actually after us at all?” He asked, suddenly. Indie didn’t answer immediately, gazing intently at the pointed tops of the blue spruce trees breezing past.

“Yes, I share that feeling,” she answered, finally. “I’ll even go you one step further. I think he wants to
help
us. I know that sounds a little crazy, but I feel a threat from your mind, and I know somehow it is not from him. I think Will knows where the threat is coming from, though. Why he would want to help us, I can’t explain, and, obviously, you can’t figure it out either, am I right?”

“Unfortunately, you are exactly right. However, things are getting clearer. I think either the gift is evolving, or maybe I am just finally beginning to learn how to use it!”

“Two enemies and three friendly entities?” Indie spoke aloud, thoughtfully. “Could Will be one of the three friendlier?” Jackson stared straight ahead, eyes on the road.

“Three or
four
friendlies,” he corrected her. He lifted his shoulders in a weary shrug. “It seems a reasonable assumption, although, I’m not generally big on making assumptions.”

The road began to level out, and the surrounding area was becoming the familiar suburban outpost that Indie, until two days ago, had called home. She looked out at the small subdivisions and cul-de-sacs with a detached interest. This was no longer her world.

It never really was at all, she’d finally realized.

Not until Jackson turned down the street that led to what she now thought of as “Will’s house”, did she begin to feel a sense of apprehension tugging at her heart.

“Come now, where’s all of that confidence you were showering me with just a bit ago?” Jackson gave her a quick smile and mussed her hair teasingly, in an attempt to soothe.

“It’s still there, I promise.” She smiled weakly. “It’s just sort of weird to be back here, you know? But I’m sure this is the thing to do.”

“Good. Then you and I . . . we’re right here!” He held up two fingers and pointed them first at his own eyes, then at hers, which made Indie break into tense nervous laughter. She shook her head at his attempt to keep her spirits up.

Jackson slowed as they found themselves in front of the house. Will’s truck was not there, and the house looked quiet and empty. “Hmm, I wonder where everyone is, on a Saturday. Will’s usually off, and the kids would be home.” Indie mused aloud.

“Maybe Will took the kids somewhere for the day?”

“Maybe. He was never one to spontaneously suggest family outings before, though. Let’s go in.” Indie was suddenly seized with a strong desire to look around inside the house.

Jackson hesitated, then pulled the car up the road several yards, where it was somewhat concealed by a large box hedge. Will would not recognize this vehicle anyway, so he wasn’t overly concerned about hiding it. They both exited the car and, Jackson stood at the end of the driveway, feeling for any eyes upon them.

Finding no inner warning that they were being observed, he looked around with his eyes now, and noted that the street was quiet as they made their way up the driveway. Indie stopped short. “Do you hear that?” The eerie sound of moaning and whining was coming from inside the house.

Indie raced to the front porch and tried the front door. Naturally, it was locked. She quickly darted around to the back deck, and triumphantly opened the French doors that led to the bedroom. “I’ve been asking Will to fix that lock for six months,” she muttered.

“Yeah, too bad he never got around to it.” Jax stepped in and looked around, warily.

He was overwhelmed momentarily by the memories of the first and only other time he had been here. This is where he had brought Indie into this life. This was where it had truly begun.

Indie reached out to him and took his hand. “I know,” she gave him a little tug. “Come on!”

They moved cautiously through the house, following the mournful howls that Indie now recognized as Max. They found the dog sitting in the middle of Cassidy’s bed, yowling anxiously. Indie noticed that the windowsill had been scratched to pieces, as if the dog had been desperate to get out.

“What’s the matter, boy?” Indie was incredulous. He had never done such a thing before. She was also certain that he didn’t howl like this when he was left alone. They would have heard about it from the neighbors, surely.

She knelt by the bed, trying to comfort the dog, who had leaped to the floor and jumped into her arms, shaking with his excitement.

“Indie, I think you should come see this.” Jax’s voice came from the small office across the hall. As Indie rose, the dog began whining urgently, and looked at Indie expectantly.

“Just hang in there, Max. I’ll be right back.”

She walked into the room and gasped in shock. The small guest bed was covered with boxes of ammunition, emptied of their contents, several holsters, and various other containers that she know housed much of Will’s small arms and investigative tools stash. Things she had hated even knowing that he owned, but conceded that they were probably necessary in his line of work, at times.

Will was obviously prepared to go to war, but where had he gone? Moreover, on whom was he planning to use this arsenal? Could they have been wrong about Will not planning to hunt them down? Indie felt that she might begin hyperventilating.

She consciously pulled back her panic, and slowed her breathing as she looked questioningly at Jax.

He was picking up the boxes, examining the labels as he spoke. As Jackson heaved the S&W X-frame Magnum 500 into his hands, he grimaced and looked up at Indie.

“Well, I would
really
hate to be the prey, if this is what our hunter would be using. This is astounding!”

“Do you think our assumption was wrong, about Will wanting to help us?” Indie’s head was beginning to clear as the shock wore off. “Because, for some reason, I still think don’t think we’re in danger from Will. Does that seem naive?”

“No, but we have a much more urgent threat. It is becoming clear to me that we are about to have our hand forced. We are going to have to meet it, head on. We will have no choice. And by the way, I think your dog is desperately trying to tell you something!”

Indie turned in time to see Max pulling and tearing at a small white sweater that belonged to Cassidy.

“Max, No! What’s the matter with you?” He had never destroyed items in the house, ever. Not even as a puppy had Max been a destructive animal. He’d always stuck close to Cassidy, and she’d trained him with remarkable speed and ease. This was behavior far outside the norm.

As Indie carefully tried to pull the sweater from the dog’s teeth, she suddenly recoiled in fear.

Jax was instantly at her side. “What is it? What happened? Did he bite you?” Indie shook her head, eyes wide with terror. She slowly picked up the sweater again, and looked at Jackson.

“Lift up the veil, Indie! You’ve got yourself closed off from me!” Jax spoke urgently as he pulled her closer.

Almost immediately, he heard the sounds of children calling out for help. It was heart wrenching. As Indie had touched the sweater recently worn by her daughter, she could clearly hear the voices of her children crying out for their mother, and now, so could Jackson. His reaction was instant. He moved at once, pulling Indie to her feet.

“Where would Will take the kids so that he could go off on an adventure that would require all of this firepower?” he asked as he began pulling her at top speed down the hallway.

“Marie . . . he would take them to his mother’s.” Indie spoke in a hoarse whisper, as she tried to keep her feet under her, now nearly numb with fear. Who would want to hurt her children? She couldn’t fathom it.

“Then that is where we are going. Now!”

Jax shot through the house practically dragging Indie behind him, pausing only to unlock the front door, which provided faster access to the car out front. Indie’s eyes fell upon her cell phone on the counter, still on the charger where she had left it the night Will had made her leave. She quickly snatched it up as Jackson pulled her through the front door and down the steps, not bothering to shut the door behind them.

As they made a run for the car, neither noticed the terrified dog bolt out the door and streak down the road as fast as his legs could carry him.