Roswell Fanatics

roswellian love: It has been assumed that Damon was the one protecting Max and looking out for him… and he certainly isn’t gonna turn down an opportunity to take the credit.

Shakes hasn’t revealed the name of the man who saved him from the streets.

It is amazing how a single decision can change a life.

True, Shakes benefactor was seeking companionship.

It’s possible that Damon will decide to off the investigator just to make a point.

Max has a lot of people looking out for him even if he doesn’t know it.

Natalie36: Max is fighting hard to do the right thing but so far he’s only tying himself up in legal knots.

keepsmiling7: Max’s mother was definitely one of those women who don’t deserve to have children. A loving home would’ve made the difference.

Isabel won’t wait long before making contact.

Philip was doing what he could to help Max.

Max has a lot of people looking out for him even though he doesn’t know it.

Thank you for the amazing compliment! All of these characters have something to overcome. What Max and Ava have endured has been horrific and unfortunately, there are too many kids on the streets who face similar circumstances. The battle for survival can be ugly and it can steal parts of the soul, but some do succeed and escape that life.

I am so pleased to hear that this story has touched you. That means a great deal to me.

begonia9508: Thanks!

Max feels that he’s backed himself so far into a corner that he can’t get out. He doesn’t know who to trust and he’s scared that every move he makes is only digging his hole deeper and putting those he cares about in more danger.

Perhaps meeting Isabel will help.

MP: Thanks, posting today!

mary mary: There are a lot of things in play at the moment and a lot of people involved. Now we just have to get them together.

xilaj: It is sad that Max has never known that he had someone decent looking out for him.

The connections are about to get stronger. Max has a lot riding on every decision he makes and it’s only putting more pressure on an already tense situation.

Shakes will be coming back very soon. As for Damon… it’s an ugly fact that people like him find it ridiculously easy to control others and use them for their own amusement.

Alien_Friend: Thanks!

Philip was trying to get things set up so that when Max got out he would be able to really make a fresh start. I think he would’ve told Isabel about her brother if he’d had more time but unfortunately he misses his chance. In time she may grow to understand why he withheld the information from her.

Once the situation comes to light I’m sure it’ll be taken into consideration.

Isabel won’t wait long before making arrangements to meet Max. As for Damon’s request… well, sometimes it pays to have ears on the inside. You’re absolutely right about him blaming Max should anything go wrong.

Thanks again!!


Part 40

Dimitri’s fingers flew over the keyboard as he traced the largest of Knight’s offshore accounts. The head of the organization was arrogantly confident that his money was safe and the people he had handling his finances were smart, but they weren’t him. He knew his way around computers and he was familiar with the internal operations of banking institutions, both foreign and domestic.

Knight maintained accounts at multiple banks in an effort to protect his money. The security was tight but he had already cracked the codes for two of the accounts and set measures in place to move the money as soon as the time was right. The account he was working on tracking now was the one that would bankrupt the organization and he was getting close.

He had spent weeks altering and perfecting viruses he had created over the past few years when he’d had little else to occupy his time. If people only knew how easily strings of computer code could destroy everything and wipe them out financially they would reconsider how much they relied on electronic banking. He smiled to himself as he leaned forward and studied the information on the screen. Oh, he was close. Once all the pieces were in place he would release them on Knight’s system and all of the information they needed to bring them down legally would be collected and rerouted to David’s contact in the Bureau.

He turned his head sharply when the voices being recorded caught his attention and he stretched his left arm out to slap the call button on the desk phone. “We’ve got trouble,” he said when the man answered. As soon as he had confirmation that David was on his way he hit the disconnect button.

*****

Sean leaned back and tapped his pen against his lips as he mulled over the situation. There were so many reasons why telling Evans that his friend was safe could backfire on them. He felt for the guy, he really did, but they could be putting a very valuable witness at risk if they pulled him in and gave him that information. He dropped his head back against the couch and stared up at the ceiling. Michael was certain that Max was already in trouble and if that was true then what would it matter if he knew she was safe? No, it wouldn’t change anything, but it might give the guy some peace.

Yoda jumped up on the couch and walked across the cushions to brace her front paws on his thigh and stare up at him. She yowled loudly and when that wasn’t sufficient enough to get his attention she started to knead his leg with her claws.

And that had his attention. “Ow! Damn it, Yoda, there’s skin under there!” He picked her up and cradled her like a baby. As soon as he started to scratch her chest she began to purr, the sound a loud rumble.

“You realize that cat’s spoiled,” Mac said as she turned her gaze back to the laptop.

Sean turned his head to look at her before glancing down at the cat again. “Are you spoiled?” he asked.

Yoda yowled discontentedly when her human stopped scratching and she batted at his hand to remind him that he was supposed to be paying attention to her. The purring began in earnest when the scratching resumed and her head dropped back over the arm supporting her to stare at the other human occupying her space.

Mac snorted and went back to what she was doing. “Yeah, not spoiled a bit.” She clicked on her email and glanced at him again. “It’s too late to pull him in.”

He rubbed his eyes tiredly. “Is it?”

“If he’s already reestablished a connection with Knight and he suddenly disappears we could see an increased body count.” She opened up a file and scanned over it. “Your family’s been involved in this situation so how badly do you wanna risk their safety?”

“This’s a lot bigger than what the two of us can handle. We’re gonna need backup.” He stood and placed Yoda on the couch so he could go into the kitchen to look through the cabinets.

“We have no idea who to trust.” She shook her head. “And I’m kind of a fugitive at the moment.”

He grabbed a bag of mini powdered donuts and carried them over to the couch, dropping them on the coffee table and going back for a glass of milk. “Captain Stone,” he mused as he sat down and tore the bag open.

“Your captain? No, you don’t know that you can trust her.”

“I trust her. Kyle trusted her enough to explain the situation and request that she allow him to return to the safe house and she took measures to make sure it happened. The captain’s an honorable officer; she respects the law, she backs her men and women, and she knows when to look the other way.”

“Even if you can trust her, she won’t be able to protect your family. Knight has eyes and ears inside the force.”

“She can help us figure out what to do next.” He glanced over his shoulder when someone knocked on the door. “That’ll be Court,” he said and got up.

Mac shifted to watch him over the laptop as he opened the door and ushered the woman inside. The doctor was responsible for her current good health and she had done nothing to make her appear suspicious. She had run a search on Courtney and she had found very little until she had dug deeper into the woman’s records.

She’d had an exemplary military record up until just prior to her discharge. A lot of what she’d uncovered had been blacked out, but there was enough there for her to read between the lines. If what she had pieced together was in fact what had happened, Courtney had been assaulted by an officer while off duty and the entire thing had been whitewashed. It would explain her clinical approach to situations and the way she was obviously close to Sean but yet still kept him at a distance, she thought as she watched them. She wondered why Sean had called Courtney since she’d had no need of the woman’s services for a couple of weeks now.

“Wanna beer?” Sean asked as he closed the door.

“No, but I’ll take a bottle of water if you’ve got it on hand.” Courtney nodded at the woman observing her from across the room. “Feelin’ okay?”

“Better now that I don’t have extra holes in my body. I ‘preciate everything you’ve done for me.”

“Try to avoid getting shot again.” She walked over to the couch, shaking her head at Sean’s cat when she saw the feline stretched out, front paws on the coffee table and back paws on the couch as she made a grab for one of the donuts that had rolled out of the bag. She started to take the donut but Yoda gracefully leapt onto the table, snatched the treat up, and ran across the room with it.

“Spoiled,” Mac muttered.

“That ain’t no lie,” Courtney agreed as she dropped down to sit on the couch. She tipped her head back to glance at the man in the kitchen. “Okay, what’s up, Deluca?”

“I need a big favor.”

“Bigger than aiding an escaped fugitive?”

“Yeah, possibly.” Sean turned away from the refrigerator, holding up a bottle. “Mac, beer?”

“Sure.”

He carried the drinks over to the living area and handed the bottles out before sitting down. “I gave you a brief rundown of what’s goin’ on so you know there’re some big name players involved.”

“Name’s don’t get much bigger than Knight around here.”

He nodded. “My cousin’s protecting the witness. They’re off the grid but there’re reasons to keep them stationary for the time being.”

“You need someone you trust to provide backup for him.”

“Yeah. He’s tucked away in a very small hole so, not a lot of room for additional bodies.”

“What’s keeping them stationary?”

“The witness was pregnant when they went on the run.”

“Was,” she mused quietly. “He delivered the baby?” Her eyebrows lifted at his nod. “Recently?” She glanced between them. “It’s been a little over two months since you called me to check on Mac.”

“Yeah, so that’d make the baby, what… close to eight weeks now?”

“Why didn’t you call me about this sooner? Newborns require vaccinations. He may have everything else under control but they wouldn’t be able to just show up for vaccinations while they’re on the run. Not to mention the mother’s past due for an examination. They must be staying somewhere remote, which means there’s probably an increased chance of infection…”

Sean grinned when she went off on a medical rant. She loved the medical field and she hated to see anyone suffer. It had made her a great medic. “While your medical expertise would be welcome, your ability to track and take out a target at a distance would also be very useful.”

“Location?”

“Both good and bad. There’s only one way in or out. With the right equipment you could make a descent from the cliffs but you’d be boxed in. There’s a river close by but they don’t have a boat so it wouldn’t provide an escape route. They’d have to make it upstream to find a place calm enough to cross but they would have nowhere to go because there’s sheer rock face on the other side.”

“Helluva place to hide.” Courtney unscrewed the cap on the water and took a long drink. “Does he know I’m coming?”

“No, I only have contact if he calls me. There’s no reception up there.”

“And can I assume he’s armed?” She nodded when he gave an affirmative response. “Uh-huh, this’s the cousin I met on R&R a few years back? The one who heartily loves paintball and figured since we were military we’d be the perfect opponents? Um-hmm, as I recall he was very intent on taking us out and that was a game.”

“He knows who you are, Court. He won’t shoot unless he’s identified you as a threat, which you aren’t.”

She shook her head at him. “One way in and out… what kind of visibility?”

“Limited. Gravel road gives you maybe a hundred yards before you lose visibility because it starts twisting and turning. The terrain is difficult to traverse if you come in any way other than the road and the trees and undergrowth are so thick it makes forging your own trail difficult at best. Not impossible, but difficult.”

“I’ll need directions.” She emptied the water bottle and tapped it against her thigh. “How’re they doing on supplies?”

Sean got up and walked over to the kitchen to scribble on a notepad. “Also limited. He’s been very cautious about making trips to the little general store to stay off the radar as much as possible.” He handed her the piece of paper along with a set of keys. “Directions to the cabin and the address for where my jeep’s garaged. You’ll need somethin’ with four-wheel drive.” He checked his back pocket for his wallet and then turned to look around the apartment. “You’re gonna need money for gas – “

“I’ll cover it.” She smirked. “You’ll get the bill when this’s all over. I’ll put a supply list together and make some arrangements to cover my disappearance.” She studied the directions. “This looks to be about a four or five hour-drive so I’ll set off before dawn so I get there while it’s daylight. You got a number for me to call to let you know when I get there?”

“Yeah, there’s a lookout,” he leaned over to point at the map, “right there. It’s your last chance for a signal.”

“Alright. That number for a burn phone? Okay,” she said when he nodded. “If there’s anything else I need to know I’ll contact you before morning.”

“You’re lucky,” Mac murmured after the door closed behind Courtney.

Sean turned away from locking the door. “What’s that?”

“I was just saying you’re lucky. You called her, said you needed help, and just like that, she agreed.”

“She’s my friend and she knows I’d do the same for her if she needed my help.” He smiled and settled on the couch once more with his bag of donuts. “But I do know how lucky I am.” He tossed a donut at her, grinning when it bounced off of the keyboard and left a white ring of powder before rolling across the floor. “Your reflexes are slow,” he said and tossed another one. “Heads up!”

Mac caught the donut and shook her head at him. Most of the time she wasn’t sure how to take him but she no longer questioned whether or not she could trust him. She laughed when he got up to retrieve the renegade treat and ended up running across the room to get to it before Yoda could reach it first.

*****

Max pushed the gate open and stepped into the backyard. His shoulders were slumped with the weight of the burden Damon had placed on him. He barely noticed when Diablo ran across the yard to join him, having forgotten that he had agreed to take care of the dog until Liz got back from running some errands. He made his way to the guesthouse, unlocking the door and stepping inside. He unconsciously held the door open for Diablo and pushed it shut once the dog was inside.

He couldn’t shake the image of the man bound in Damon’s car. He didn’t know him, had never seen him before, but now a perfect stranger’s life was in his hands. He felt nauseous as he wandered from one room to the next and he couldn’t escape the feeling that the walls were closing in on him. Sweat broke out on his skin and he reached out to brace one hand on the mantle above the fireplace when the room began to spin.

He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping it would stabilize things but the sensation of falling only intensified. He used his hand against the wall as a guide as he made his way into the bedroom, stumbling across the floor and collapsing on the bed. His heart was racing, beating so fast it felt like it was going to catapult through the wall of his chest.

Diablo barked several times, running back and forth between the bedroom and the living room. He stood next to the bed and nuzzled Max’s hand, snuffling and becoming agitated when there was no response. The dog moved back when he started to shake, whimpering when Max rolled over and curled up tightly. He jumped up on the bed and paced back and forth before stretching out behind him and resting his muzzle on Max’s side.

*****

Shakes ran up the stairs and into the room where he conducted his surveillance on Knight and his organization. He had allowed Dimitri to move into one of the extra bedrooms several weeks before because he needed access to a secure system to begin hacking into Knight’s organization. It was also necessary to keep him out of sight since Knight’s men would take him out if they realized he was still in the city. He was unaccustomed to sharing his space so having Dimitri in the house day and night was unnerving and there were occasions when he would retreat to another wing of the house to have some time alone.

He had been taking one of those breaks when Dimitri called him and informed him that they had a problem. He knew it could only be one of a couple things: he had heard something on the recording equipment or he had uncovered something important. He paused in the doorway, watching Dimitri as he leaned closer to the speakers for a moment. “What is it?”

“Your boy’s in trouble.”

“What happened?” Shakes hurried across the room to rest his right hand on the back of the chair. “Is he okay?”

Dimitri motioned to the equipment when it fell silent and he leaned back, turning from the waist to look up at David. “Physically, he’s fine. But… listen to this.” He had become familiar with all of the equipment over the past few weeks and he operated it without hesitation. “I wasn’t paying much attention earlier because I was so focused on hacking one of Knight’s accounts, but he sent that little prick Nicholas after your boy. Sounds like they put him in a car, but we lose audio for a while after that.” He shrugged one shoulder. “At least as far as what went on between Knight and Evans. I’m guessing he wasn’t invited along for the ride.”

“How do you know the kid’s okay?” Shakes demanded.

“Because we pick up here with a meeting between Knight, Pascal, someone I don’t recognize, and Nicholas.” He pressed several buttons and glanced up at David when he shifted to lean back against the desk next to him.

Shakes grabbed a notebook and held his pen poised over the paper as he listened to the voices, easily identifying them and picturing the scene as it played out in his head.

“Evans looked white as a ghost, Boss,” Nicholas said, his voice filled with amusement. “Who’s this guy?”

“Nicholas, meet Mr. McCallum, private investigator. Or so his identification says.” Damon drummed his fingers on the surface of something hard, probably the large desk that dominated the room where he conducted all of his business. “He’s an ex-cop, if there is such a thing. He’s been snooping around, looking into things, and generally making a nuisance of himself.”

“What’s that got to do with Evans?”

“What the fuck do you think he’s got to do with it?” That was Pascal, a man who had little patience for Nicholas. “He had the kid’s name on him and he’s been sneakin’ around just when we’re expecting a large shipment?”

“Not that I’d ever bother defending Evans, but how would he even know about the shipment?”

“He wouldn’t,” Pascal growled, “but you would.”

“Whoa, I ain’t told nobody about that shipment! I sure as fuck never told Evans!”

“The timing could be purely coincidental,” Damon said, “but we’re not gonna risk it. Pascal, I want extra men in place when that shipment comes in.” A moment of silence followed. “I don’t know what you and Evans have going on, Mr. McCallum, but I sincerely hope he doesn’t try to double cross me.”

“That kid’s never even seen me before today.”

Shakes frowned when he didn’t recognize the fourth voice. “We need to identify that man.”

“Already working on it. Plenty of McCallum’s in the city, but I’m guessing there aren’t that many who’re private investigators.” He concentrated on the screen as he typed a command in. “Any clue who might’ve put a tail on Evans?”

“No idea whatsoever.” He motioned for silence when Knight started to speak again.

“Pascal, I want you to meet with Sutherland and make sure everything’s in place.”

“That’s his contact on the docks,” Shakes said quietly. “If he’s bringing that shipment in through the docks it’s gotta be a lot of weight. Whoever that investigator is, Knight won’t let him walk away from this.” He drummed his fingers on the surface of the desk as his thoughts bounced back and forth. “Was McCallum in the car with the kid?”

“It sounded like it, yeah.” He glanced away from the screen and his attention was immediately caught by the look of concentration on the other man’s face. “David? What’re you thinking?”

“Knight’s gonna use this guy as leverage, it’s the only thing that makes sense. There’s no other reason why he hasn’t killed McCallum. God knows he’s killed people for a lot less than finding them poking into his business.” He reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “This’s his chance to really put the screws to the kid and ruin him. He’s bringing in a large shipment and it’ll have to be moved rather quickly.” He sighed and turned his head to stare at the computer screen. “How close are those programs to being ready?”

“They’re just about there. I need to run a couple of simulations to make sure they do what we need them to do without leaving a trail that leads back to us.”

“And the accounts?”

“Got two nailed down and working on cracking the last one. I’ve already set up multiple dummy accounts so the money will bounce around before it lands in the correct account, also without leaving a trail.”

Shakes stood, rubbing his arms absentmindedly as he began to pace. “It’s not enough, D.”

“We’re gonna bankrupt him and route proof of all his illegal activities to the Bureau. We’re gonna bring his empire to its knees. It’ll be enough, David.”

“No, it won’t.” He paused in front of the wall of monitors, his gaze traveling over them and shaking his head. “The kid’s gonna end up going down for this.”

“I don’t see a way around that.” Dimitri watched his friend as he began wearing a trench in the floor. “His situation’s tenuous at best. His parole’s already down the drain, it’s just a matter of time before he gets busted and thrown back inside. One way or the other – “

“No! Max Evans will not be sacrificed to make this happen!”

“You’re getting yourself worked up over this. He knew when he got involved with Knight that he was canning his chance at staying outta prison.”

“You don’t know him, D. The only reason the kid ever went back to Knight was because he thought he could save a friend.” Shakes leaned back, his fingers beginning to drum against the surface again. “I need the computer,” he said suddenly.

*****

Liz walked into the guesthouse and tossed her keys on the table by the door. She turned her head to the side, listening for anything that would let her know Max was home. Diablo hadn’t been in the yard but the two of them would often go for a run in the afternoon so she didn’t think much about it. She walked into the kitchen and started to reach for the refrigerator door when her hand froze mid-reach.

The door had been unlocked, she thought. Max didn’t like to lock the door when he was home, choosing to leave it open most of the time. But if he had gone out for a run he wouldn’t have left it unlocked. Her head snapped to the side when Diablo ran into the kitchen and barked before backing out again. Something was wrong. She hurried after the dog, following him into the bedroom and stopping in the doorway when she saw Max curled up on the bed.

“Max?” She rushed over to crouch down next to the bed, reaching up to brush her hands over his face. She barely spared Diablo a glance when he jumped up behind Max and stretched out beside him, whimpering quietly when he didn’t receive a response. “God, what’s wrong with him?” He didn’t have a fever, his skin was cool and dry, and he appeared to be asleep, but his posture suggested that he was in pain. She shook him and received a quiet groan. “Max, Max, wake up!”

“What?” he grumbled and shook her hand off.

“Max, what’s wrong with you?”

“Nothin’.” He pushed himself into an upright position and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m fine, Liz.”

“You’re not fine,” she disagreed. “You looked like you were comatose when I came in here and you’ve got Diablo worried too. Maybe we should make an appointment for you to see the doctor.”

“No, I said I’m fine.” He got to his feet and stumbled into the bathroom. He couldn’t handle her concern or her fussing right now. He leaned over the sink and splashed cold water on his face. He had read enough to be fairly certain that what he had experienced earlier was probably the result of anxiety. At least he hoped that’s all it was.

Liz shifted to sit on the bed, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for Max to come back out of the bathroom. “I can sit out here all night long,” she called when minutes passed and it became apparent he was stalling.

The door was jerked open and he stood in the doorframe, glaring at her. “What do you want?”

“I want to know what’s wrong with you.”

“Bad Mexican,” he said, rubbing his stomach for effect. “Do you really need to know more?”

She wrinkled her nose. “No, I guess not. You’re sure you’re alright?”

“I’ll live.” Which was probably more than he could say for the guy Damon was holding hostage. He had no idea how he was gonna get out of this one. But who could he tell? Any civilian he told would just be put in danger, he couldn’t trust the cops, and if he told his parole officer he’d end up right back behind bars.

“Look, we’ll just stay in tonight, okay? I’ll call Maria and tell her we need to cancel and make some soup or something.” She shrugged. “We can watch a movie or you can just rest and I’ll read you one of the books you got from the library last week.”

Well, that got him off the hook with Michael, which was a relief. The guy would take one look at him and know something was wrong. “Fine.” He crawled up on the bed and stretched out, not even bothering to comment on Diablo’s presence next to him. “I’m probably just gonna sleep a lot, Liz, so if you don’t wanna hang around I’ll understand.”

“The way this thing works is when one of us is sick the other one sticks around to do whatever there is to make him or her feel better.” She rubbed his side and leaned forward to kiss his temple as she stood up. “I’ll make that call and come back and check on you, okay?”

He lifted a hand in a half-hearted wave. “I can’t tell her,” he whispered when Diablo rested his muzzle on his shoulder. “I can’t put her in even more danger.” He didn’t know how he was going to fix this, but he knew he had to figure it out soon because time was running out on him.

Diablo whined and licked his neck.

mary mary: Shakes has something in mind and he won’t wait long to get things rolling. And hopefully Kyle won’t shoot first and ask questions later.

L-J-L 76: Thanks! Max is really in a difficult position here. At this point he already knows that his parole is in jeopardy and if anyone discovers what he’s been involved in it’ll be revoked. He doesn’t know who to trust, who to tell about what’s going on. There’s the fear of telling the wrong person, but also the fear of telling the right person because it could put that person in danger. We’ll find out what happens once Michael knows. There are plans being put into place to stop the bad guys. What Damon and his people do has yet to be seen. What will happen if Max winds back up in prison? We’ll have to wait and see on that one. Right now Kyle and Ava are hiding out because if Damon finds out where she is he’ll send his people after her. Lol, I love the questions and hopefully as the story progresses they’ll all be answered.

begonia9508: Max wants to tell someone, he really does, but he also knows that whoever knows what’s going on will be in danger. He just can’t stomach putting someone else in danger.

keepsmiling7: That is exactly the position Max is in.

Computer transfers are complicated so it’s a good thing that Shakes has Dimitri to handle that aspect of the plan.

Part of Sean wishes he could tell Max but he doesn’t know yet for certain how deeply Max is involved in his old life and they can’t risk jeopardizing Ava’s life.

Lol, Diablo would just love that!

Alien_Friend: Yeah, it does!

Thanks! I love to include animals in stories. They really do draw the characters out and show us another side to them. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat animals.

Sean is lucky to have Courtney to rely on. They’re great friends and there’s no question that they have each others’ back. Lol, let’s hope Kyle doesn’t shoot first and ask questions later.

Mac does lead a very solitary life. Unfortunately she learned young that trusting people is a surefire way to get hurt and that’s stuck with her. Working with Sean, she’s going to learn that while you may get hurt at times, those relationships are important.

Max is having a terrible time with this situation and it’s beginning to take a mental and physical toll on him. If only Sean knew how deeply involved Max is in this mess, but unfortunately, all he knows at this point is that he is involved, and he can’t risk compromising Ava’s life. Shakes will be putting that information to good use and soon. Diablo will be okay. He’s such a sweetheart and he only wants what’s best for his humans.

Michelle in LA: Oh, boy… I’m gonna have to write faster, lol.

Poor Max, the guy’s just about reached the end of his rope. The situation’s put the pressure on and trying to do the right thing, trying to protect the people he cares about, and trying so hard to escape that life is taking a toll on him mentally and physically.

He’s in a tough position and you’re so right, what makes him who he is, is exactly what Damon is using to force him to do what he wants. He will continue to put himself in danger if it means he can spare those he cares about.

I’m glad you like Courtney! She’s definitely the kind of person Kyle needs in case his position becomes compromised. He does know what she looks like… and hopefully he won’t shoot first and ask questions later, lol.

Shakes, the guy wants so badly to see Max out of the life and into one better for him. He’s worked hard to protect Max and as we’ll see in upcoming parts, he will do his level best to make sure Max survives this situation.

Ungh, I haven’t been getting alerts either! Lol, hate it when that happens. Yeah, Philip’s lawyer should have provided Isabel with that information. What she does with it is up to her. That’s an attitude that I just can’t stomach.

Isabel wants very badly to meet Max and she won’t be waiting long to make that happen. Oh, you mean Cousin Samantha? Are you sure you don’t want to know how things are going with her? I mean, absolutely certain? Because if you do… I’ve got a few ideas for a scene that I can dredge up for her.

xilaj: At this point the house of cards is very fragile and all it would take is one wrong move. True, there are people out there who want to help but there are other agendas in play. Shakes does have Max’s best interests at heart though. Max has gone to Shakes as far as he’s comfortable because he knows the more involved Shakes gets, the more at risk he is.

Liz and Diablo, now there’s a tag team, lol. We’ll catch up with Mac and Sean in this update. As for Shakes, his plan will be revealed soon.

MP: In spite of my best intentions I didn’t make it to post yesterday… but, I’ve got an update for today!

dreamon: So glad you’re enjoying the story!



Part 41

Alex waited patiently while Isabel discarded yet another outfit before disappearing into the depths of her walk-in closet. What was the key to successfully cohabitating with a woman like Isabel? It wasn’t agreeing with everything she said, it wasn’t giving in to every little thing she wanted, and it wasn’t putting a smile on your face and doing what she wanted you to do. He smirked and glanced over the top of his book before turning the page. No sir, it was separate closets and bathrooms, he answered himself. He considered himself very lucky to have both.

They had talked about calling Elena earlier and asking her if she could keep Jenny for a few more hours but she had called them first. One of Preston’s friends was having a birthday party in the afternoon and Jenny had been invited to go with him. That freed them up for the better part of the day to drop in and pay a visit to her brother.

“Alex, I don’t have anything to wear.”

He rolled his eyes and his hand shifted up so he could press his thumb to the page so he wouldn’t lose his place. “Isabel, you could clothe the population of a small country with what’s in your closet.”

“That doesn’t mean I have a single thing suitable for this meeting.” She stepped out of the closet and looked at him as she gestured at herself furiously.

His eyes moved over her. Even dressed casually she stood out from the crowd. “What’s wrong with what you’re wearing?” He shifted to sit up a little straighter. “I doubt he’s gonna pay much attention to what you’re wearing, but I think you’re beautiful.”

She turned to check her reflection in the mirror, scanning her appearance and slowly turning her head from one side to the other. “Well, I suppose it’ll do.”

He propped his chin up on his fisted hand and smiled at her. “If not we’re gonna spend the day playing dress-up while you work your nerves out.”

Her eyes widened and she met his gaze in the mirror. “Oh, my God, is it obvious?”

“Not to anyone who doesn’t know you,” he assured her. He checked his watch. “Why don’t we go have a late breakfast and go by your brother’s place a little after noon?”

“Okay.” She smoothed her palms over her stomach in a futile effort to stop the rioting butterflies that refused to calm down. “Do you think he’ll want to know about me?”

“There’s only one way for us to find out. He’s obviously in the process of getting back on his feet and he doesn’t have any ties to anyone so maybe he’ll welcome the chance to have family in his life.”

“What if he doesn’t though? I mean, we’re just gonna barge into his life and hit him with the news that he has a sister. Maybe he’s happy with the way things are, maybe it’s a complication he doesn’t want…”

“And maybe you’re stressing out for no reason. No, he may not want anything to do with you once we talk to him and explain the situation. But we’re not gonna know that until we actually meet with him.”

Isabel pulled in a calming breath. “You’re right.” She held up her right hand before he could speak. “No comments. Let’s just go now before I have time to think twice about this outfit.”

*****

Michael leaned against one of the support posts on the front porch of the guesthouse and crossed his arms over his chest. It was unusually cool for early September but he paid no attention to the goosebumps on his exposed arms. He had dropped Maria and Hunter off at her parents’ place and told her he was going to pay Max a visit. He didn’t like not knowing what was going on and his instincts were on high alert after the last-minute cancellation the night before.

He had already checked the main house and no one had been home there. He assumed the housekeeper was out running errands or grocery shopping and he had no idea where Nancy was. Jeff would be at the restaurant, where he was most of the time, and he knew Max didn’t work on weekends, so where the hell was he? Probably with Parker, he thought as he glanced up at the sky. Hadn’t Maria said something about her having a birthday coming up soon? He shook his head. She might have, but he did good to remember birthdays and anniversaries where Maria was concerned.

He turned his head and glanced at the guesthouse and his expression turned speculative. He walked around to the back and checked the door, not surprised to find it locked. Of course that wasn’t a problem, he mused. He had plenty of experience breaking into places. Not that he used those talents much anymore. They sure came in handy when someone *cough* Maria *cough* locked the keys in the car or locked herself out of the house though.

He unlocked the back door with ease and stuck his head inside, peering around to see if Diablo was inside and breathing a little easier when the dog didn’t appear. He stepped inside and closed the door, listening for a minute for anything that sounded out of place. Hearing nothing he straightened up and glanced around the kitchen. Not much of interest, he decided as he opened up cabinets, drawers, the oven, dishwasher, and refrigerator.

He searched each room and continued to come up empty-handed. Evans was probably too smart to hide whatever he was transporting right there in the house since it would be the first place his parole officer would look. He crouched down in front of the fireplace and reached up inside, feeling around and finding nothing.

He stood and looked around the room. Everything was in perfect order, not so much as a dirty glass left out on the coffee table. That would change in time. Well, unless the guy was some kinda serious neat freak. Unlikely, he decided. He was still adjusting to being out from behind bars and not having someone there to tell him what he could and couldn’t do every minute of the day.

His cell phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket, flipping it open and holding it up to his ear. “Hey, babe,” he greeted.

“Michael, did you find Max?” she asked.

“No, he’s not home.”

She smiled at his annoyed tone. “So, c’mon back and let’s have lunch.”

“Alright, I’ll be there soon.” He put his phone away and slipped out through the back door, closing the door behind him and making sure it was locked before crossing the yard. He let himself out through the gate and out of habit his gaze swept the street as he walked to his car. He easily identified the car parked several houses down; dark four-door sedan, tinted windows, and a shadowed figure sitting behind the wheel. He checked his watch and smirked to himself as he opened his door and slid into the front seat. Give it a couple more minutes and the security patrol would roll through.

He took his time settling in, watching the car pull away in the side mirror less than half a minute before the patrol turned the corner. He tried to get a look at the driver without looking directly at him. If it were just him he wouldn’t have bothered hiding his curiosity, but he knew how Knight operated, and if he blew the guy’s cover it would put his family in danger. “If they aren’t already,” he muttered under his breath and reached out to start the car.

“Find what you were looking for?”

He nearly jumped out of his skin at the male voice accompanied by a body rising from the backseat. “Man, what the fuck are you doin’ in my car?!” he snapped as he jerked around to stare at the intruder.

Shakes stared back at him, blue eyes unblinking behind the sunglasses. “I’d suggest you pull away and leave the neighborhood before we begin to appear suspicious.”

Michael’s eyes narrowed. “Answer the question.”

“We have a mutual concern.”

“Evans isn’t my concern,” he denied as he started the car and pulled away from the curb.

“Your primary concern is those you care about. Your girlfriend, your son, other members of your family, and then at the outer edges are people like Liz and Max. People who aren’t necessarily your friends, but you care about them nonetheless.”

“Can I assume you have a point?”

“You can assume anything you’d like.” He turned his head to stare out the window, smiling internally when he saw that Michael was driving in the opposite direction of his original destination. “You don’t know me but if my suspicions are correct you’ve asked around and you do know about me. I appreciate your discretion even though I know it has nothing to do with me. You can deny concern for him all you’d like, but it’s there all the same, and it’s not misplaced. He’s a good kid, always has been. The streets, Knight, the shit life threw at him, prison, none of that has managed to take away the sense of decency he carries around inside of him. He’s done things he’s not proud of, things he’ll have to live with the rest of his life, but that life hasn’t destroyed him yet.”

Michael pulled into a deserted parking lot and parked the car, turning in his seat to look at Shakes. “How deep has he gotten?”

“Kid’s up to his ass in snakes and the walls are starting to close in on him.”

“And how’re you connected?”

“I want to see him come out of this in one piece and I’ll do whatever’s necessary to make that happen.”

“He’s up against some major players. Only way out of this is if he cuts a deal.”

Shakes snorted at that. “He could walk on a deal, but he wouldn’t walk far. Knight won’t just sit back while some low-level employee puts him behind bars. He’ll take the kid out before he gets the chance to talk.”

“He won’t get out unless he has help.”

“Get him to talk to you.” He shrugged one shoulder when Michael just looked at him. “It’s why you were at his place, why you were snooping through his things.” He rubbed his right arm as he looked out the window. “You want answers and in your position I’d want the same thing. You have a lot to lose if what he’s involved in touches your family. He’s only gotten deeper into this mess because he’s trying so hard to protect everyone he’s unintentionally put in the crosshairs.”

“That’s why you have someone watchin’ Parker for him.” Michael took his ball cap off and scratched the back of his head.

“He wants to do the right thing.”

“Then why get involved with Knight again?”

“He’s only had one person in his life that stood beside him no matter what and she disappeared not long before he got out.”

“She was involved with the organization,” Michael guessed.

“Yeah, she wasn’t in as deep as she could’ve been, but she was in deep enough.”

Michael settled his hat back into place and blew out a breath. “So he went to Knight because he figured he knew where she was.”

“And that’s all it took to put him back under Knight’s thumb.

“So you want me to what?”

“You’re in a unique position, Michael. He wants to tell someone what’s going on but he doesn’t know who to trust and he’s worried that anyone he does tell will get hurt. Knight has cops on his payroll, which I’m sure doesn’t surprise you, so one word to the wrong person and his life is over.”

“And what makes my position so unique?”

“You’ve been there. You understand that lack of trust. You have cops in your family but you didn’t just trust them blindly. You’re objective enough to see beyond their relation to you; it took time for them to earn your trust. Just get him to talk to you.”

Michael shook his head. “What makes you think he’ll trust me?”

“Part of him already does. You and Maria have accepted him without holding his past over his head. He looks at you and he can see the possibilities the future holds. You’ve got the girlfriend, a kid, a family, and friends that not only care about you, but they respect you as well. He wants that.”

“He can still have that. His future doesn’t have to be ruled by his past.”

“But it will be if he doesn’t take a stand. I know your background so I know you understand that. Knight is going down one way or the other, but if Max doesn’t come forward and take an active part in helping to make that happen it’s always gonna hang over him and he’s always gonna wonder. He doesn’t have to be responsible for taking Knight down, but he does need to know he did what he could to do the right thing.” He looked down at his hands for a moment before lifting his gaze to the other man. “He’s trying to do the right thing, but he needs help.”

“Which you seem to be providing.”

Shakes flashed a grin. “I never reveal my hand until I’m ready. Get him to talk to you, that’s all I’m asking.”

“How much danger is my family in? And give it to me straight.”

“Knight won’t touch your family. You have my word on that.” He shifted and reached for the door handle. “I’ll be in contact.”

“You’re not getting out that way.” He hooked his thumb over his shoulder. “Gonna have to use this side, that one doesn’t open from the inside. Shakes,” he rolled his window down to look at the other man when he got out of the car, “why’re you doin’ all this?” He shook his head and squinted against the sun. “What’s in it for you?”

Shakes just gave him an enigmatic smile and took a step back. “Knight’s people will never get close to your family. Do me a favor and don’t try to take any of my guys out.”

“If they catch someone comin’ after my family…?”

“Knight will start comin’ up short in the employee department.” He nodded at the car parked across the street and within moments it began to move in their direction. “The kid’s meeting with his boss at the restaurant. He’ll be back this afternoon.”

Michael watched him climb into the backseat of the car and his mind started turning over what had just happened. He reached for his phone when it started buzzing and he thumbed back a quick text after reading Maria’s message asking where he was. How was he supposed to get Max to trust him when he knew he was surrounded by cops?

*****

Kyle was cutting into a warm apple cinnamon pancake when he caught sight of a flock of birds suddenly bursting from the trees not far away. He shoved the bite in his mouth and chewed quickly as he got to his feet, gun in hand. He motioned for silence when Ava started to speak and he moved to the window, nudging the thin curtain aside to stare at the road leading up to the cabin. There was no chance of seeing dust kick up if someone was driving in because it had rained earlier that morning.

He glanced over his shoulder and checked on Cadence. He had picked up a few tools from the general store and taken apart a few drawers from the cabin’s only dresser to build a makeshift crib. He had been careful to smooth the edges and then covered it before lining it with a sleeping bag he had cut down to size and then placed in a pillowcase. He grabbed the second gun and pressed it into Ava’s hand.

“Stay down, stay outta sight, and if anyone but me comes through that door don’t hesitate.”

“Kyle…”

“Someone’s comin’ up here and if we waste what little time we have I’ll lose the chance to get the drop on ‘em.”

She nodded. “Be careful.” She watched him disappear through the front door and pull it closed behind him. She looked at her daughter before glancing down at the gun in her hand. She hated guns but she knew without question that if it meant protecting her daughter she wouldn’t hesitate. The protective feelings inside of her were primal and she couldn’t understand how any mother could just let her child be hurt. It happened so often. She crept over to the window and watched Kyle as he crossed the open area in front of the cabin to get to the tree line that bordered the driveway.

He worked his way into position on the right side of the driveway, his gun trained on the spot where the vehicle would become visible. He’d give his next month’s wages for an M4 with a scope right now. He was still confident that Knight’s people wouldn’t find them holed up in the cabin but he wasn’t about to make a rookie mistake and just assume that whoever it was, wasn’t a threat.

His breathing slowed when he heard the tires spin and after almost half a minute the woods fell silent. He turned his head slightly, listening hard for any sound and was rewarded by a door closing. Just one, he realized. There was no way Knight would send a single person after them. He heard more noise, things being moved around, and he used the momentary distraction to slip further down the driveway. He saw the jeep turned at an odd angle and a log wedged up under the front end.

The driver was at the rear of the jeep, obscured by the tailgate that was open. He saw the person hook a pack over one shoulder and he moved quickly when he saw the long rectangular case being slid out from the back. He knew he wouldn’t be able to cross the muddy road without making a sound so he took aim and used a tree for cover.

“Step away from the vehicle with your hands up!” he yelled, the side of his finger gently brushing against the trigger in case the intruder made any sudden threatening moves. “I won’t say it a second time,” he warned.

“Paintball was one thing, Valenti. You shoot me with live ammo and we’re both gonna regret it.”

He frowned, lowering the weapon fractionally when he caught the familiar ring of the woman’s voice. His eyes narrowed when she took a step back, her movements careful. “Courtney? What the hell are you doin’ up here?”

“Your cousin seemed to think you could use some backup.” She shrugged one shoulder. “And after hearin’ what you’re up against I’m inclined to agree.” She nodded and reached for another bag when he frowned at her. “Yeah, Sean told me what’s goin’ on, and it’s a good thing he did. On top of everything else you’ve got goin’ on, you’ve got a baby up here that hasn’t received any vaccinations.”

“And you know this how?”

She rolled her eyes. “Really?”

He grinned at her sarcastic tone. “Hope you don’t mind cramped quarters and baby noise.”

“Hope you don’t mind if I set up camp outside.” She gave him the once-over. “You look like crap. I’m guessing you’re not sleepin’ much.”

He put his weapon away and reached for a couple of her bags. “I try to catch some shuteye when Cadence is awake during the day and when she’s asleep at night. Ava and I alternate so we’re at least getting some sleep and spending time with Cadence when she’s awake.”

“You’ve really embraced this fatherhood thing, haven’t you?”

He shrugged with a tired grin. “You spot anything on the way up?”

“Lots of trees, a bunch of deer, and a lot of damn dirt roads that don’t seem to go anywhere.” She nodded at the jeep. “I brought up some basic supplies, thought you might like a little more variety than what’s available at that little store you’ve been using. And just because you’ve been holed up for several months, delivered a baby, and managed to evade detection by Knight and his people I hauled a little something special up for you.”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t know if your witness is a meat eater or not but there’re a couple steaks and baking potatoes in the cooler.”

“Hell yeah!” He nodded at the cases stacked against the backseat. “You’ve got enough weapons and ammo for a small army.”

“You can’t be too prepared when you’re going up against someone like Knight. I think we’re gonna have to wait for the ground to dry before we can move this damn thing,” she said, aiming a kick at the front tire.

“Yeah, probably.” He stared longingly at the cooler before hooking the bags over his shoulder and reaching for the cases. “Alright, we’ll have to come back for the rest.” He led the way up to the cabin and Ava stepped outside, gun trained on Courtney as she studied their body language.

“Sean sent her up here,” he said, shooting a reassuring smile in her direction. “This’s Courtney Banks, Ava; she’ll be our backup. And she brought food.”

Courtney shrugged when the other woman finally lowered her weapon. “Agent McKenzie said you’re pretty fond of chocolate covered Bavarian cream filled donuts so I stopped by my favorite donut shop on my way out this morning and picked up a half dozen.” She set her things down on the porch and turned away. “I’m gonna grab the next load, find a spot, and get set up.”

“Is she for real?”

“She’s the real deal,” Kyle said, glancing over his shoulder to watch Courtney. “She was a field medic in the military and she served with my cousin. She also brought medical supplies since our girl’s past due for some immunizations.”

“You trust her enough to let her vaccinate Cadence?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Okay, but I’m not leaving her alone with her.”

He chuckled. “I wouldn’t expect you to.”

She looked at him. “Why would Agent McKenzie have told her anything like that about me?”

“I don’t think Mac’s as bad as she comes across, Ava. Not excusing her behavior towards you, just sayin’ I think she’s got some issues.” He shrugged. “And maybe this’s her way of tryin’ to change, ya know? Make amends one step at a time.”

She smiled and shrugged. “Well, it’s a nice start and I never say no to my favorite donut. At least we just picked up supplies and I do know how to stretch food. Do you think she’s hungry?”

“I think she’ll wanna get her camp set up, do her own perimeter check, and map out the area before she even thinks about food. Although she did pack in some steaks and baking potatoes we can cook up for dinner.”

Ava could feel her mouth start to water at just the mention of steak. “It’s been so long since I had a steak.” Her eyes widened. “Do you like twice baked potatoes?”

“Ava, I’m a guy. If it’s a potato then it’s on my list of favorites.”

She smiled. “Then if you’ll take Cadence this evening I’ll make dinner.”

“I think we’ve got a deal,” he said with a grin. “I’d better go help haul the rest of the stuff up here. It won’t take long.”

*****

Mac nearly dropped the laptop when she read the email from her contact. It was marked as high priority. “Oh, my God,” she muttered as she read it again. He wanted to meet. In person. She had never expected that she would ever know who he was, much less actually meet him. He didn’t give a reason for requesting a meeting but the tone of the email implied that things were escalating.

She hit the reply button and typed in a message, agreeing to an in-person meeting. Her fingers hovered over the send button when she was finished. As much as she wanted the meeting she was a fugitive and she wasn’t working alone anymore. She saved the draft and got up to pace around the apartment.

Sean wouldn’t be home for several more hours and if she didn’t find something to occupy herself she was going to do something reckless. She got up and started to pace, looking down when she kicked something across the floor and seconds later Yoda took up the chase. She watched the cat for a moment, identifying the small toy mouse being tossed around and pounced on. She had never had a pet, but she could see the attraction.

Sean doted on the animal. She shook her head. It was true that you could tell a lot about people by the way they treated their pets. The man was a walking contradiction and that intrigued her. She had pulled his records and downloaded photos of him working, taken by a reporter that had been allowed access to his unit. When he was working he was focused on the job and nothing broke that concentration. She had browsed pictures of him with his family at his invitation and it was easy to see that he enjoyed his time with them.

She wondered what that was like, having that bond, that closeness, with a group of people who accepted you for who you were. Faults, quirks, and all. He had that kind of relationship with his family but he didn’t take it for granted. Yoda jumped up on her hind legs and waved her right paw in the air when the mouse got caught on her claws.

Mac laughed and left the cat to amuse herself, going into the kitchen and digging around to find something to make for dinner later. She had never bothered to make dinner for any of the men she had dated but since she had been cohabitating with the cop and her body had healed enough to allow her to move around freely she had found herself making the effort and even trying out new recipes.

This was the most successful relationship she’d ever had and it wasn’t even a real relationship! He had a way of turning her thoughts upside down even when he wasn’t there. She hadn’t expected him to help her to the degree that he had and somehow she knew he was genuinely invested in proving her innocence as well as bringing his cousin and the witness home safely. She shook her head at her thoughts. She had stopped trying to figure out why he wanted to help her and just accepted that he did.

She jerked around when Yoda yowled loudly and ran across the room and she realized Sean was coming in through the front door. She glanced up at the clock on the wall and then back at the door. His shift wasn’t over and he didn’t normally come home until he was finished with work for the day. Her eyebrows lifted in surprise when she saw the fresh bruises on the right side of his face and she hurried over to him, catching herself before she reached out to him. She didn’t want to invade his space. “What happened?”

“Strung out junkie,” he mumbled as he ran his tongue over his teeth again. “Bastards are a pain in the ass to take down.”

Mac winced as she lifted her hand to touch his face, turning it cautiously as she examined the flesh that was already beginning to bruise. “That’s gotta hurt. At least the skin isn’t broken.” She pushed him towards the living area. “Go sit down and I’ll get you an icepack.” Her gaze followed him as he scooped the cat up and made his way over to the couch to sit down.

Sean glanced at the laptop and started to look away again when a couple of words stood out and caught his attention. “What’s this?” he asked as he leaned forward to pick it up off of the coffee table.

“My contact wants to meet.”

“He’s gotta have somethin’ if he wants to meet face to face.” He pressed the ice pack to his face, nodding in thanks as he looked at her. “You already email him back?”

“No, I was waiting for you.” She shrugged one shoulder. “I did write a response but I didn’t send it.”

Sean nodded. “He suggest a location?”

“He’s leaving that up to me but he’s insistent that it needs to be soon.”

“You trust him enough to meet him face to face?” He leaned back and propped his feet up on the coffee table.

“Yeah, and I think we have to. He has more on Knight and his organization than we do.”

“Let’s set the meet but tell him you’re gonna have company, see what he says. Once we have the meeting over and done I’ll set up the meet with Captain Stone. This could be the edge we need. We walk away from a meeting with him and have information on Knight it’ll go a long way with the Captain.”

She shifted and reached for the laptop, altering the draft slightly and showing it to him for his approval before sending it. “I have a feeling we’re on the verge of something very big.”

“Yeah, I’ve got a feelin’ you’re right.” He rested his head against the back of the couch and closed his eyes. Days like today he wanted nothing more than to retire and spend his days doing anything but participating in drug raids.

Mac watched him as he started to relax, the hand pressing the icepack to his cheek slipping down as he began to doze. She picked it up and set it aside, getting up quietly and lifting his feet up to shift him around so he could lie down. She froze when she heard the quiet sound of a bell and she turned to look at the laptop. She held her breath as she reached out to open the new email and her excitement spiked when she read it.

Her informant had agreed to the meet and he wanted the details on the location and on her associate as soon as possible. She would discuss it with Sean, make sure he was amenable to revealing that information before sending the email. She had a feeling he would agree though; the informant had as much to lose as they did.

xilaj: Yep, we’re really about to get rolling. Shakes knows Max needs more than someone to fix things – he has to be an active participant.

Michael and Max are on their way to becoming friends. As for Shakes staying around or disappearing from Max’s life once this situation is handled… we’ll have to wait and see.

Michael hasn’t shown up yet but Isabel has.

Lol, Kyle and Ava are going to need that backup.

That meeting will be coming up in the next part. As for Damon, we’ll be checking in on him this week.

mary mary: They’re certainly gonna give it their best shot.

That’s true, lol.

Lol, well, if Christmas decorations were going to be stored in anyone’s closet… it wouldn’t be Isabel’s.

Alien_Friend: Shakes knows how important it is for Max to be involved in taking his life back and taking Damon down. All of the pieces have to be in place for things to go down the way Shakes has planned. He’ll do his best to make sure Max is covered when things finally go down.

Michael’s persistence definitely could’ve put Max in danger. Lol, unfortunately his break-in yielded no results.

Shakes will make sure they’re protected.

Kyle and Ava are going to need the backup. Mac’s really showing some signs of growth.

Well… Michael isn’t going to make it back in time to catch Max before meeting Isabel. But Alex won’t just sit by idly.

begonia9508: Shakes has his reasons but he hasn’t revealed them.

We’ll have to wait to see if Max will talk to Michael.

Lol, so true, but Isabel isn’t about to sacrifice a single piece of clothing.

Michelle in LA: Lol, well, Isabel keeps him pretty busy but he’s flattered by the question.

Max was at the restaurant, so while he wasn’t actually in that last part he wasn’t in danger.

Max will be introduced to Isabel in this part.

Shakes has had a lot of time to work out the angles and he thinks quick on his feet. In time we will find out what Knight did to him.

The man has great insight and he knows how important it is for Max to be a part of that fight. Knight has done his best to destroy Max and that’s a big part of the reason he insists on keeping him involved… he has yet to succeed.

Lol, Ava may be temporarily distracted by the donuts, but her suspicions won’t be far away. Mac is really making some progress. Courtney has really come out to play here and she enjoys being the ‘good guy’.

Shakes has let me in on his plans for Knight’s demise… it promises to be satisfying.

No, I’ve never read the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, but I did go look it up after reading your post. Sounds like it might be interesting.

Natalie36: Knight will be getting his. Michael could help Max if he’ll just open up to him.

keepsmiling7: Thanks!

Max was at the restaurant but he’s on his way home now… and Isabel is close by.

Shakes is a safe bet!

MP: Well… hope today’s soon enough.


Part 42

Liz wandered past the window displays, shaking her head at some of the tackier outfits the mannequins were wearing. “I don’t mind showing a little skin but there’s hardly enough material there to call that a dress,” she said with a disgusted look at one of the designs.

“There’s no appreciation for imagination anymore,” Nancy said with a sigh. “There’s really no mystery if a woman puts the goods on display.”

She snorted at her mother’s comment. She had made more than one bad decision where men were concerned but dressing like a slut wasn’t one of them.

“People just don’t appreciate taking things slow and letting the anticipation build. They just jump into bed without so much as a ‘how do you do?’” She glanced at her daughter, surprised when she didn’t have anything to say. “Liz?”

The younger woman suddenly stopped and turned to face her mother. “Mom, I’ve done that. I’ve slept with guys I didn’t know very well and never seen them again. Not like a lot or anything, but I have done it,” she clarified. She gnawed on her bottom lip for a moment. “I know it’s stupid and it’s dangerous, but for a long time now I haven’t cared. Well, I’ve cared enough to protect myself but beyond that,” she shook her head.

Nancy studied her for several long moments. She had suspected as much and while she had tried to talk to Liz about it before she had never passed judgment. “Would you like to go someplace quiet so we can talk?”

“Well,” she glanced at the people milling around, “you wanted to find a dress for my surprise party and I know you have a busy week ahead.”

She smiled and shook her head. The only reason Jeff was successful in throwing surprise parties for their daughter was because Liz played along and pretended to be surprised. “I’ve had my dress for several weeks now, Miss Know-It-All,” she said with a chuckle. “We’re shopping for your dress.”

“We can take a break then.” She took a deep breath. “I have plenty of time to shop for a dress before the weekend.” And maybe she could convince Max to go with her because she enjoyed his company and it would give them an excuse to spend more time together.

*****

Damon stared at the monitors over his accountant’s shoulder, his eyes flicking from one account to the other. “I don’t understand, what’s the problem? The money’s all there.”

Bradley Taggart shook his head as he clicked the left button on the mouse and brought another screen up. “It’s subtle, but someone’s been hacking the accounts.”

“FBI again?”

“Whoever’s doing this, they’ve been careful to cover their tracks. I haven’t been able to find the source. He’s pinging all over the globe, which has made it impossible to get a fix on his location.”

“We should transfer the money to new accounts.”

Taggart shook his head. “That’s one possibility, but that could be exactly what they’re waiting for. I’d like to sit on this a while longer and monitor any activity. There’s a chance that if I can catch them sneaking around in the accounts I can backtrack to the source. Right now all I have to go on is prior activity and that’s not giving me any useful information.”

They looked up when the door opened and Damon nodded and motioned for Nicholas to enter as he turned his attention back to his accountant. “Do you need more people to help monitor activity on the accounts?”

“No, for now I’ll handle it myself. I’ll give it a few more days to see if whoever it is tries to access the accounts again. In the meantime I’ve put measures in place so that if the money is moved it will leave a trail.”

“If they access the accounts again I want the money moved to a secured account. Track the signal and find out who’s trying to access it, but do not allow anyone to drain those accounts.”

*****

Nancy held her daughter’s hands tightly as she willed away the tears that had been on the verge of falling for a while now. She had listened as Liz finally opened up and told her about what had happened while she had been away at college. For so long now she had been worried that her daughter’s refusal to see that parolees deserved a second chance was directly related to whatever had happened to her and now she knew it did.

“I wish you’d felt you could trust us with this, Liz,” she whispered in an effort to control the trembling in her voice.

“It wasn’t about trust, Mom. I was embarrassed, humiliated, ashamed… so many things and just the thought of talking to anyone about it made me sick. For the longest time I couldn’t talk about it and it’s put distance between me and pretty much everyone.”

“That’s why you’ve been,” she swallowed with difficulty, “careless in making certain choices.”

Liz nodded and looked away. “Mom, I never – “

“Don’t apologize, sweetie. We deal with things in different ways and while it’s not a method I would’ve chosen for you I think I can understand why you chose to do that. It was a way of being in control, taking back what had been taken from you.”

“Yeah,” Liz said with a shaky laugh, “that’s kinda the same conclusion Max has come to.”

“You’re quite taken with him,” Nancy said with a smile.

“He’s different from any other guy I’ve ever known, Mom. He doesn’t push the issue when it comes to sex.” She sniffled and shrugged her shoulders. “Max, he has his own way of dealing with things, and even though I came onto him like crazy at the beginning he knew something wasn’t right and he never would let things go anywhere.”

“So the two of you haven’t had sex?”

“No. Not for lack of trying,” she admitted and then laughed when her mother’s eyes widened. Nancy had always encouraged her to talk openly with her, but they had never been this open with a conversation about sex. “We don’t have to talk about this, Mom.”

“It’s a little more direct than I was expecting, but that’s alright. Go on, tell me about Max.” She wasn’t going to say anything to stop her daughter from talking to her. If she had to suffer through a few uncomfortable moments then she would do just that.

“Even before he knew what happened to me he wouldn’t have sex with me. When I started going after him I only wanted one thing from him and that was it, but he managed to turn the tables on me. He loves to do things I’ve always thought were boring. He loves museums and he can spend an entire day browsing through the library or a bookstore. He never gets enough of the zoo or walking in Central Park. We spend afternoons walking around the city or through the park, I find myself reading more just to discuss things with him, and he rarely watches TV but he’ll watch shows or go to a movie with me just because I enjoy it. And most nights we sleep together because the thought of being separated is unthinkable and even though we’re not having sex being together has become a necessity.”

“Did you have trouble sleeping with him at first?”

Liz lifted her eyebrows in surprise. “Yeah. Well, not so much the sleeping part as waking up and feeling his body against mine.” She shook her head. “I freaked out. He didn’t know what to do so he started talking, trying to calm me down. I have no idea what he talked about, but it did the trick. That still creeps up on me sometimes.” She looked at the people walking around, rushing in to shop or coming outside laden with shopping bags. “Max had his own worries when we started getting involved. He’s had some bad experiences in his past, in prison and before, and he was concerned that he could hurt me. Sometimes in the middle of the night I’ll wake up and he’s so far across the bed I’m afraid he’s gonna fall off. He pulls into himself and he’s so tense he looks like he could break. He eventually relaxes but…”

Nancy squeezed her hands when she sighed loudly. “But what?”

“He wants us to see a shrink.”

“Why?”

“He thinks it would help us, together and individually. I’ve been resistant to it for a long time, but…” she thought back to the night before when she had gone to the guesthouse and he had claimed to be sick. She had bought his explanation at first but later she had decided that he was lying for some reason. “I think maybe it’d be a good idea, Mom.” She bit her bottom lip. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s a good idea. It would be very helpful to have someone who could work with both of you and help you to make peace with what you’ve experienced. Your dad and I would be more than happy to cover that expense for both of you.”

“Oh, I don’t know.”

“Liz, we weren’t able to help when this terrible thing happened to you. It would mean so much if you’d let us help this way.”

“I’ll talk to Max and see if he’d be comfortable with that.” She lifted her gaze to meet her mother’s eyes. “I don’t know if I can tell Dad what happened, Mom. I know you guys talk about everything and I don’t wanna ask you to keep this from him. It just…”

Nancy nodded. “I understand, sweetie. I can tell him if you’d like.”

“Yeah. Yeah, if you could tell him I think that’d be better.”

“I’ll take care of it then. And sweetie? You and Max just continue to take things at a pace you’re both comfortable with, okay?”

“I can promise that.” She got up and walked around the small table to hug her mother. “I love you, Mom. Thanks for listening.”

Nancy held her only daughter tightly and part of her wished futilely that she could protect her from every hurt in the world.

*****

“Pascal’s on his way up, Boss,” Nicholas said when Damon dismissed the accountant with the warning. He had barely gotten the words out when the door opened again and Pascal came into the room.

Damon settled down behind his desk and he opened up his planner. “Santini, I’ve decided to stay in tonight. Have the kitchen prepare dinner.”

The large man nodded and left the room soundlessly.

“I’ve got news on two fronts. First thing, we think we have a lead on Ava’s whereabouts,” Pascal said as he eased into one of the leather chairs in front of the desk. He balanced a folder on his right thigh and continued. “We’ve expanded the search each week and we may have just hit the jackpot. Carlos and Griffin stopped at some barely-there town and started asking around and the woman at what passes for the store said there’s been a new couple around recently. Not locals and don’t come down very often, but the woman she described could be Ava.”

“And the person with her?”

“We have a description of him, but no identification as of yet.”

Damon nodded as he leaned back in his chair, steepled fingers tapping thoughtfully against his chin. “What about their location?”

“Not yet. They’re going back tomorrow to speak with her husband about cabin rentals in the area. It makes sense that they’re holed up somewhere close by because they’d have to be able to get supplies to survive so our guys are gonna go back to get information on cabin rentals for hunting season, chat the old guy up, and get the information we need to pinpoint her location.” He shrugged carelessly. “If it pans out and they locate her, they’ll dispose of her and whoever’s with her, and then take care of the store owners before coming back.”

“Very good.” Damon made a few notations and then placed the pen on the desk next to the planner. “Do we have everything in place for the shipment?”

Santini nodded. “We’ve secured the dock for Saturday night and the men are ready. I’ve lined up extra men per your orders and we’ll have a sufficient amount of time to offload the shipment without being detected.”

Nicholas glanced between the other two men. “I thought the shipment was comin’ in on Wednesday?”

“That’s what I wanted Max to think.” The man behind the desk rested his linked hands on top of his planner. “He’ll be so on edge all week he won’t know which way is up. If he’s working with anyone, tipping the cops off, we’ll know it Wednesday night.”

Pascal sat up straighter and laced his fingers together to crack his knuckles. He wasn’t the least bit interested in the sadistic enjoyment Damon seemed to get from tormenting the kid. “As for the second thing, it relates to Evans.”

“You found a connection between him and McCallum?”

“He wasn’t lyin’ when he said he’d never met the guy.” He leaned forward and tossed the file folder on the desk. “Someone initiated an investigation into his existence.”

Damon frowned as he opened up the folder and his expression slowly shifted to one of interest as he read the information provided. “McCallum’s only looking for him because this woman believes he’s her half-brother,” he mused aloud. “This’s perfect. We don’t need to keep him alive any longer. We have everything we need to control Max if he tries to get outta hand.” He chuckled to himself. “He’s gone from having no one to having more people than he knows what to do with.” He picked up a picture and tapped it against the desk. “A sister, a niece, and even a girlfriend. What bigger weakness is there?” He had everything he needed to maintain control over Max. “Nicholas, you followed him this morning?”

“Yeah, nothin’ interesting to report though. He spent the mornin’ at that restaurant where he works; he’s normally off the schedule on the weekends but it looked like he was picking up the slack because someone was out.” He shrugged one shoulder. “After leavin’ there he had a brief run-in with his parole officer. Then took his normal route home and it looked like the Parker woman had company. Nothin’ else goin’ on.”

“You’re sure it wasn’t someone there for Max?”

“Who would he know with a ride like that?” He made a negative sound.

“Maybe the rich relatives looking for him, you fuckin’ moron,” Pascal said as he shifted to look at him.

“How the fuck was I supposed to know the street rat had rich relatives? You just now told us.”

“You should’ve stuck around long enough to find out who was there.”

“You know what?” Nicholas snarled as he jumped to his feet. “That bitch he’s screwin’ has a big fuckin’ dog and I’m not about to have my balls ripped off just to get a look at the family’s visitors. I can’t see how it matters who was visiting because right now the guy’s too scared to think straight. If it is the people claiming to be his family, so what? Big fuckin’ deal! He’s not gonna want anything to do with them.”

“You two calm down,” Damon said as he rubbed his temples. “Nicholas is right. Max doesn’t have to accept them or even want anything to do with them for me to use them as leverage against him.” He was silent for a moment, the only sound in the room the ominous tick-tock of the antique grandfather clock standing against one of the walls. “Pascal, once you have confirmation from Carlos and Griffin how long will it take to send in reinforcements?”

“It’ll take a day to get a team up to them. Once they know the location is correct, they’ll scout the area to make sure any nearby cabins are empty. They’re under orders to limit casualties, but any witnesses will have to be taken out, so to keep that to a minimum, we’re probably looking at Wednesday or Thursday at the earliest. They’ve dug in for the duration so they’re not going anywhere.”

Nicholas shifted when the conversation moved away from anything regarding his involvement. “Boss, I’ve got that meetin’ with Frankie.”

“Go.” Damon waved, dismissing him. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he waited for the door to close behind Nicholas. “They have to be in contact with someone here.” He drew in a slow breath as he lifted his head. “The agent that went missing from the hospital.”

“It makes sense that she’d be the contact but she’s gone to ground. She was injured badly during that incident and without medical attention she could be dead for all we know. It’s possible whoever Ava’s with is the one with the contact. We do know there’s no chance of getting a signal up in the mountains, so they can’t be making regular contact because they’d risk being seen and smart money says that’s being kept to a minimum.”

“Alright.” He looked at the door when Santini entered the room and took up his normal post. “We no longer need the investigator so take care of him.”

Pascal stood. “You just want him to disappear?”

“Yeah, make sure you put his body someplace it’ll never be found.”

*****

Max frowned at the long black car parked in front of the Parkers’ house and fear spiked inside of him at the thought that Damon was there. He hurried up the driveway and ran into the gate in his haste to unlatch it and push it open. He was on his way to the guesthouse when someone called his name and he turned to see Nancy standing at the end of the wide back porch motioning for him to come closer.

His gaze quickly moved over the couple seated at the table, releasing a heavy sigh of relief when he realized it wasn’t Damon and that she just had company. He had spent some time with Jeff, going over his role in getting Liz to her surprise birthday party and then pitched in for a few hours when one of the busboys had called in sick. It had helped keep his mind occupied for a little while but eventually backup had arrived and Jeff had told him to go home and enjoy his time off.

Since his luck had abandoned him he had run into his parole officer on his way out and the man had wanted to talk. Officer Valenti had run through the normal questions, wanted to know how his job was going, how his personal life was going, and once again asked if there was anything he wanted to talk about. He had declined the invitation as he always did, insisting that everything was fine and he had nothing new to report.

Every time he had a meeting with his parole officer he walked away feeling like the man suspected that something wasn’t right. But what could he do about it? Telling Officer Valenti what he was involved in would put him right back in prison. And that was only if the guy wasn’t on Damon’s payroll. One word to the wrong person and his life would be over.

He knew Shakes was in the process of gathering evidence against Damon and he had put measures into place to protect the people he cared about, but he didn’t know if he could ask him for anything else. Not because he had any doubt that Shakes would make it happen, but because he didn’t want to put him in danger.

“Max, I’d like to introduce you to some very nice people.”

As much as he wanted to just run to his corner of the universe and hide from the world she had been so kind and generous he didn’t feel right just turning his back on her. He forced a smile as he glanced around her, his eyes searching the glasses on the table and only seeing three. “Is Liz here?”

“No, we had a long heart-to-heart this afternoon and she just needed a break so she went home. She said the two of you were spending the evening together and that she’d be back a little later.” Nancy watched him, her mind going over everything her daughter had revealed earlier that day, and she marveled at this young man’s capacity to be so gentle, caring, understanding, and patient after everything he had been through in his life. “Thank you for seeing my daughter for who she is and for never taking advantage of the vulnerability lying beneath her sometimes harsh exterior.”

He straightened up and met her gaze evenly. “She really talked to you,” he said quietly. He nodded and smiled slightly. “I’m glad. It’s easy to see how that secret’s weighed her down.”

“You’ve been so good for her, Max.”

“I think we’ve been good for each other, Mrs. Parker.”

“Call me Nancy, please.” She nodded at the couple on the porch. “They’re here to see you.”

Confusion colored his features as he glanced at them again. “Me?”

Isabel could feel her heart as it lodged in her throat when Max turned to look at them and she swallowed hard. “He doesn’t look happy,” she said quietly.

“Maybe he has other plans and we’re disrupting them,” Alex said as he chewed on a piece of ice. He threaded his fingers through hers when her hand sought his out. “All she’s telling him is that we’re here to meet him.” He could feel her tense up when the other man approached them with Nancy and he started to get to his feet when Max suddenly lifted his right hand and motioned for him to remain seated.

“Max, I’d like you to meet Isabel Evans and Alex Whitman.”

His curious gaze bounced between them and he leaned forward to shake the guy’s hand. “I’m not exactly clear on why you wanted to meet me,” he said, glancing up when Nancy excused herself and disappeared into the house. He shifted self-consciously when he realized the woman was staring at him.

“I’m sorry,” Isabel apologized. “I’ve spent so much time thinking about what this moment would be like.”

He cleared his throat. “What it would be like? Meeting an ex-con?”

“No.” She nodded at the chair to her right. “Sit, please. My dad passed away after a bad car accident a while back and just before he,” she swallowed with difficulty and squeezed Alex’s hand. “Before he died he told me about you.”

“About me,” he said slowly. “I remember my lawyer’s name and it wasn’t… Your last name’s Evans.”

Isabel moved to sit on the edge of her seat. “Yes, you have his last name. We don’t share the same father but we do have the same mother.”

More people who could be put in danger because of him. “Sorry to hear that,” he muttered as he stood up. “Look, you don’t wanna know me.”

“No, Max, I do,” Isabel insisted as she hurried to stand as well. “I remember spending time with you when we were little. Don’t you remember that? You loved the swings but you were scared to go down the slide because you fell off of it once. So I’d push you and we’d stay out on the playground for hours.”

He turned his head to look at her, studying her features. Blonde hair, brown eyes, and a smile that was so open and trusting. She was the little girl from his dreams, he realized. He had a family. A family that he couldn’t risk letting into his life. “No,” he lied, “I don’t remember anything like that.” He shook his head as he took several more steps back. “I have to go and I’d like you to leave. Don’t come back here. I’m not the guy you wanna be related to.”

She reached out to touch his arm when he started to walk away. “I really wish you’d give me a chance.”

He jerked around and glared at her, hating the wounded look on her face when he snatched his arm away from her. “Don’t ever come back here.” Damon could so easily hurt them just to get to him. “I don’t want anything to do with you so take your rich ass right back out to that fancy car and get lost. I don’t need some rich bitch takin’ pity on me because of some mistake her old man made. Whatever he had to do with my past is over so just let it go and get lost.” The words made him sick to his stomach but he had to make her leave.

Alex got to his feet and balanced his weight on his crutches so he could move to intercept Max. “You want us to leave, just ask,” he growled. “Don’t you ever talk to her like that again. She’s not here because she wants anything from you except the opportunity to possibly build a relationship. You wanna mouth off and throw profanity around, go right ahead, but have enough decency to be a man and watch the language around women.” His voice dropped. “And you ever call her a bitch again you’re gonna learn very quickly that these crutches won’t stop me from kicking your ass.” He backed off slightly. “Do we understand each other?”

Max was fisting the air in his mind. He had a sister and she had a guy who wouldn’t stand for another guy treating her badly. He had a feeling this guy wouldn’t stand for that from anyone, regardless of gender. “Yeah,” he said after a moment, “we do. Now take her and get outta here.”

“Max, if the timing isn’t right, if there’s an honest reason for you pushing her away, just tell her that. She doesn’t need the details and she won’t pry, but if there’s any part of you that’s even the slightest bit interested in getting to know her, stomping on her heart isn’t necessary for her to give you some space.”

He gnawed on his bottom lip as he weighed his options. Letting her into his life would put her in danger, but what if Alex was right? Her boyfriend knew her a lot better than he did. “You have to keep her away from me. I have my reasons and my past isn’t far enough in the past yet.”

Alex narrowed his eyes. “You’re worried about her safety.” He nodded. “Okay, I can get behind that, but I won’t get behind your abusive behavior towards her.”

Isabel’s gaze was moving from one man to the other and she was beginning to develop a headache from trying to keep up with the bits and pieces she was picking up. She knew Alex would take her brother on if it came down to that and she loved him for it but she’d rather not see the two of them come to blows.

Max turned away from Alex and faced his sister. “I can’t do this right now. Maybe one day when my life’s in order but right now I’ve gotta stay focused on making that happen.” He shot a quick glance at Alex when he cleared his throat. “And I shouldn’t have said what I said before. I just figured it’d be the only way to get rid of you because I’m just not ready for this. I may never be ready, I don’t know.”

“But maybe one day?” she asked hopefully.

“Yeah, maybe one day, and I hope if you still wanna get to know me then that I’ll be worth the wait.”

“Can I give you my phone number? That way you can contact us if you decide you’d like to take that step? I won’t push for more, Max, I promise.”

Several minutes later they left through the back gate and he looked down at the small piece of paper in his right hand with her phone number written across it in her neat, precise handwriting. He hoped one day soon he would have the opportunity to make that call. He looked up at the sky that was slowly changing color as evening closed in and his hand clenched around the scrap of paper. He had a sister, he thought as he closed his eyes.

killjoy: Thanks! This story gave an unique opportunity to really utilize these characters.

Natalie36: Thanks for reading!

Michelle in LA: Damon deserves a satisfying end… and if Shakes has his way, he’ll get it. Why his hatred of Max? We can only speculate.

It’s looking good for Courtney getting the chance to show us what she can do.

Thanks, this story just called for the use of these characters and they’re really lived up to expectation.

It is an odd and difficult situation. Max knows how easily Damon could use them as pawns in his sick, twisted little game and as much as he wants that kind of connection he won’t put them at risk just to have it.

Liz is finding her way back to the relationship she had with her mom at one time. And Nancy did learn more about Max’s character through that conversation.

xilaj: At one time Liz and Nancy had a very strong relationship and Liz is finally finding her way back to that.

Max reacted off the cuff in an effort to push Isabel away to keep her safe and off of Damon’s radar. Alex knows Isabel doesn’t need him to jump to her defense but he isn’t about to stand back while anyone talks to her like that. Even though he doesn’t know why Max was acting that way he didn’t just assume it was for no reason. Poor Max, the guy’s in such a difficult situation.

Lol, you remembered! Nicholas is gonna be in hot water if it ever comes to light that he’s been giving information away left and right.

We’ll get to the meeting between Shakes, Mac, and Sean in this update. Max and Michael… not quite yet. As for McCallum, we’ll have to wait and see.

keepsmiling7: Don’t you hate it when that happens? Lol, I know I do!

Max is giving it everything he has and the poor guy continually runs up against walls.

Shakes is still gathering… but it’s coming soon.

Liz is getting back to the relationship she had at one time with her mom.

begonia9508: It’s been a long time since Liz has been able to open up and confide in her mom… that had to feel so good for both of them.

Definitely not the kind of news any father would take well.

Max was just reacting; trying to push her away because he knows if Damon finds out about her it’ll put her in danger. Alex did step in because even though Max has a good reason for what he did, he went about it in a way that was hurtful and Alex won’t stand for that.

Damon’s time is running out… he just doesn’t know it.

mary mary: Max is getting close. And Shakes… we’ll find out soon.

Alien_Friend: Thanks! Max reacted the only way he could think of to run them off right away. With Damon looming over him he knows having a family only puts them at risk. It was a hurtful response though and while Isabel doesn’t necessarily need Alex to jump to her defense, he isn’t about to stand idly by while anyone talks to her like that. Max gave her hope when he said maybe they’d meet again.

Damon doesn’t know it but he’s edging closer to his end with every update. Max is in such a difficult position right now but he may just start making some headway soon.

It’s taken time for Liz to get to this point and it has to feel good for both her and Nancy to finally be finding their way back to the relationship they had at one time. It’s only going to get stronger with these forward steps.

We’ll find out in this update if Shakes falls for Damon’s plan. Kyle’s gonna need all the help he can get if Damon’s people find them.

We’ll have to wait and see if we’ve heard the last from McCallum.

Thanks! Some of the scenes do take a little longer to work out.

MP: Posting more now!

Eva: Yes, it is! There are so many players involved it’s hard to say yet how it’ll work out for all of them.

Thanks! Alex stepping in at that moment may very well have given them a chance in the future.

dreamon: Posting more today!


Part 43

Shakes leaned forward to replay the audio from Knight’s meeting with Pascal, his left hand filling in anything he had missed the first time two times he had listened to the recording. He let it play out before he reached out and pressed the button to stop it. He stared down at the legal pad, drawing squares around each item as he turned the information over in his head. He pulled the keyboard closer and opened up the encrypted file that contained all of the evidence he had been collecting against Knight and his organization. He opened up the subfolder where he kept all of the bits and pieces that he hadn’t yet found a place for, things that he knew were important but hadn’t been able to connect.

He input the new data and leaned back to study it, his blue eyes moving from one column to the next. He reached for the mouse and started to rearrange the data, putting it in chronological order and one by one, the pieces began to fall into place. He leaned back and stared at the screen, his fingers drumming out a staccato rhythm as he sorted through everything that had come to light.

Ava was alive. She had been in protective custody, waiting to testify against Knight. He tipped his head to one side as his eyes flicked between several of the data cells. “Sonofabitch,” he muttered under his breath as he studied various dates. He hurried to open up another subfolder and brought it up on another screen. He switched the information for both folders to the screens on the wall and he stood to walk around the desk, his gaze constantly switching between them.

The FBI agent he had been filtering information to had been off the grid for several months. He was aware that she had been injured on the job and that she was the target of a manhunt but he was certain she was being set up. “And now it all makes sense,” he mused as he reached out and used his fingertip to drag the agent’s data sheet to overlay the data sheet for Knight’s activities.

*****

Max was restless. He hadn’t been able to relax since the surreal meeting with Isabel Evans. He had vague memories of a little blonde girl but they were so distant he had put them down to leftover impressions of the dreams he had on occasion. He needed to clear his head. He looked at the clock and decided he had plenty of time to go for a run before Liz showed up. He changed clothes and was tying the laces on his shoes when the phone rang and he glanced at the caller ID out of habit as he leaned over to pick the handset up. Payphone didn’t really tell him much, but he hit the button and answered the call anyway.

“Evans,” he said curtly. He straightened up slightly when he heard the gruff greeting from the other end. “What’s up, Dino?”

“I got somethin’ for you, Max.”

“What is it?”

“Can you meet me?”

Max ran a hand over his face. He wanted to get out and run until he couldn’t think anymore but he didn’t want to leave Dino hanging if the guy needed something. “Yeah, the usual place?”

Dino shook his head. “Remember where we met?”

“Yeah. Half an hour?”

“See you then.”

“I’ll be there.” He grabbed his keys and leashed Diablo before leaving the house.

*****

Ava watched from the porch as Kyle and Courtney walked off yet another perimeter. They had been outside most of the afternoon, going over the landscape step by step after doing whatever they needed to do to free the Jeep from the log wedged beneath it. The woman had extensive medical training, handled a gun with ease, and was working to establish the best location to set up her camp in relation to the perimeter.

She had watched the woman like a hawk as she examined Cadence and pronounced her to be in good health. She had administered the vaccinations and through her coaching, minimized the trauma Cadence experienced with her first introduction to needles. She glanced over her shoulder to check on her daughter and smiled when she saw that she was showing signs of waking up.

Kyle stopped and crossed his arms over his chest when Courtney paused near the ledge that looked down over a steep ravine. They had been over every inch of ground within a hundred yards of the cabin and he was ready for a break. He reached up to rub the back of his neck as she moved back from the ledge to look at him.

“There’s only one way in, which is as problematic as it is advantageous. If Knight finds out where we are he’ll have us pinned down. We have no way of calling for help and we’ll be boxed in. He pinpoints this location he’ll send in his people with enough artillery to wait us out.” She turned and pointed at the curve in the dirt road. “We’ll divide the ammo up and I’ll make camp just around the bend. They come up here we’ll have them trapped between us. There’s a rocky ledge with plenty of natural cover that’ll give me a solid vantage point.”

“Works for me. It’s about time to get dinner started. You wanna get your camp set up and just come up when you’re ready?”

“You guys go ahead,” she said as she shook her head. “I’ve got supplies and I’d rather get settled in.” She nodded behind him and he glanced over his shoulder to see Ava standing on the porch with Cadence. “You two, you’re…?”

He smiled and shrugged one shoulder. “We’re finding our way. I’d better get up there. I’m on baby duty so Ava can get dinner squared away. When we’re finished I’ll give you a hand dividing the ammo and haul it out to your camp.”

Courtney watched him as he turned and made his way back up to the cabin. He stepped up on the porch and stretched before taking the baby from Ava, easily settling Cadence in the cradle of his left arm as they walked into the cabin. After a moment she went to the Jeep to grab her gear and head to her camp.

*****

Max pried the large piece of plywood away from the opening it had been put up to cover and it moved easily. He slipped inside with Diablo and turned to situate the plywood so the doorway appeared to be covered once more. He moved through the building carefully and his right hand clenched spasmodically around the paper sack he was carrying.

He and Ava had crashed in the abandoned building a few times but only on nights when every other option lacked viability. Back then it had been a well-known spot for junkies to hang out and even now the place reeked of drug use, filthy bodies, and urine. He glanced down when something crunched beneath the sole of his shoe and he made a face at the broken glass. The floor was littered with debris and drug paraphernalia and he issued a quiet command to Diablo so he wouldn’t follow him deeper into the building.

He moved through the corridors until he located the room where he and Ava had met Dino that first time. The man sat in a corner of the room and Viking lay next to him, his graying muzzle resting on his beloved master’s thigh.

“Everything okay, Dino?”

The other man looked up at him and smiled. “Yeah, just needed a place without eyes and ears.”

“So what’s up?” He moved closer to them and crouched down, holding out the sack with tuna and a few other items.

Dino took the sack and held it up with a nod of thanks. “I was asked to pass some information along,” he said quietly. “It’s about Ava.”

His breath lodged in his throat. “What?”

“She’s alive.”

Relief shot through him so rapidly that he felt like his knees were going to give out on him. “You’re sure this information’s reliable?” he asked when he could speak again.

“Got it from Shakes. He wanted me to tell you to wait for him to contact you ‘cause he’s in the middle of somethin’ pretty sensitive and it’s best if the two of you aren’t seen together right now. He also said for you to watch your back.”

Max leaned against the wall and ran a hand over his face. “Did he say if she’s okay?”

“He knows she’s alive and for now she’s safe.”

A huge weight rolled off of his shoulders as the news began to settle in. Ava was alive. Shakes wouldn’t have sent the message if it wasn’t true, if he wasn’t sure. “And if she’s safe, Damon doesn’t have her,” he mused quietly. He shook himself and looked at the other man. “Thanks, Dino.”

He nodded. “Just make sure you follow his instructions. Patience hasn’t always been one of your strengths.”

“Things change,” he said with a shrug. “I’m a little better at being patient than I was a few years back.” If Damon didn’t have Ava and Shakes was getting close to shutting the crime lord down, maybe it was time to take a step he’d been so hesitant to take.

*****

Isabel was sitting on the back porch, her eyes following a slow-moving caterpillar as it crawled along the wide white railing that bordered the porch. The day had been strange to say the least. She hadn’t known what to expect from the meeting with Max and she wasn’t sure what to think about the way things had gone. He had given her hope that he would reach out at some point in the future but she wondered what was holding him back. She had almost expected him to refuse after his initial reaction to their presence.

From what little she knew about him from reading his file she could only imagine how easily he could’ve hurt Alex if he’d wanted to. There was violence in his past; violent acts that he had committed and violence that had been committed against him. The fact that he had restrained himself from reacting physically spoke volumes about his character. She turned her head when the screen door opened and Jenny came outside, expertly maneuvering around on the crutches.

With every passing day she could see the little girl’s confidence building. She was getting around with ease and there were days they had trouble keeping her on the crutches because she was so impatient to be free of them. Her legs were getting stronger each day and she was eager to be rid of the casts. She was progressing at the expected rate and was bearing more weight thanks to her physical therapy sessions.

“Did you get to meet your brother, Isabel?” she asked as she wrapped her arms around the woman’s neck in an enthusiastic hug.

She returned the hug and nodded. “We got to meet with him for a few minutes.”

Jenny moved to sit in one of the chairs and shifted around to look at her. “Was he nice?” She didn’t wait for an answer, continuing when a thought occurred to her. “I wouldn’t mind if I had a brother. Or a sister,” she added quickly. “But I think either one would be nice. Ooh, or a dog! Preston has a dog and it’s so funny and smart. He’s a big yellow dog. I can’t ‘member what kind but his name’s Rocky.” She tipped her head back against the cushion when Alex joined them. “Hi, Alex. Do you know what kinda dog Preston has?”

“Um… if I remember correctly he has a yellow lab.”

“He said when I don’t got the crutches anymore I can walk Rocky. I could now but sometimes Rocky likes to run so I gotta wait.”

“That won’t be much longer,” Alex said as he accepted one of the glasses of iced tea Isabel filled and slid across the table. “Have you ever had a dog, Jenny?”

“Me?” Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “No.”

“We may just have to pay a visit to Santa when December rolls around.”

She flinched and knocked her glass over. “Why?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“Why… what?” he asked uncertainly.

Isabel ignored the tea spreading across the table as she reached over to rest her hand on Jenny’s arm. “Sweetie, what’s wrong?”

She stared down at her hands, clasped tightly in her lap. “I wanna stay here.”

“Jenny, you are staying here,” Alex said as he shifted to face her. “Talk to us, sweetheart. Tell us what’s wrong.”

“My daddy said that Santa takes kids away from their families.”

He cursed internally. Something that should be a symbol of joy and excitement had been reduced to a lie to induce fear in a child. As much as he wanted to just denounce what her father had told her he knew that was the wrong approach. “I think your daddy might’ve just misunderstood about Santa because that’s not what he does.”

“But how do you know?”

“Well, I went to see Santa every year when I was a kid and he never took me anywhere. And Isabel even went to see Santa too.” He lowered his voice in a conspiratorial whisper. “Of course, her list was probably long enough to reach the North Pole.” He smiled and leaned over to give her a reassuring hug. “I think your daddy was just confused about Santa, sweetie, but we don’t have to go see him.”

She didn’t understand why her daddy would tell her things that weren’t true. But since she had been with Alex and Isabel she had learned that some of the things he had always told her were wrong. Why would Daddy lie? “Alex, if I wanted to see my daddy sometime, could I go see him?”

He glanced up at Isabel, unsure how to answer.

She didn’t know how to answer either but after a moment she pulled herself together. “I think we’d have to talk to Sharon first, sweetie.”

“But if she says it’s okay then I could go?”

“We’ll talk to Sharon,” Alex said. “If she says it’s okay we’ll find out what we need to do to visit him.”

She looked between them. “And you could go too?”

“Yes, of course,” Isabel said and hugged her.

A few minutes later Jenny reached for her crutches and slipped from her chair. “I’m gonna go get the paper towels. Be right back.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea, Alex?” She leaned forward and grabbed a handful of napkins to start sopping up the amber liquid. “God, what kind of man tells the lies he’s told her?”

“I think she’s looking for answers and she has a right to have them.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “It won’t be easy, sometimes the truth isn’t, but whatever happens we’ll be there with her and for her.”

*****

Max stared at the phone for nearly five minutes before he picked it up and punched in Michael’s number. It rang half a dozen times before going to voicemail and he was in the process of leaving a message when an annoying beep interrupted him. He switched over to the other call and his eyebrows lifted in surprise when Michael’s voice carried over the line.

“I was just leaving you a message.”

“Yeah, I figured.” Michael leaned back against the support post next to the porch steps. “Had the ringer off so it wouldn’t wake Hunter. Kind normally sleeps like a rock but he went a round with a fuckin’ wasp this afternoon and the wasp won.”

“Sorry to hear that. He okay?”

“Yeah, he’s gonna be fine. Had an allergic reaction to the thing an’ scared the hell out of everybody.”

Max nodded to himself. “Okay, well, why don’t I just catch you later when things calm down?”

“Evans, I’m here. You got me?”

“Yeah, I got you.” He was silent for a minute. “If you have time tomorrow maybe we could get together?”

“Meet you at your place, say four o’clock?”

“I’ll see you then.” He disconnected the call and checked the time, deciding to get dinner started. He could talk to Michael the next day, explain the situation, and ask his advice. Shakes was making sure anyone close to him was being protected so there was no… He stared into the depths of the refrigerator but instead of seeing the contents he saw the man Damon had been holding captive, demanding to know about his connection to the guy who had been investigating him.

He didn’t know why the guy had been snooping around Damon’s organization. Maybe he was just an ex-cop who had run across something of interest and he hadn’t been able to leave it alone. But he’d taken incriminating photographs that excluded him, he’d had his name written in a notebook, and then today he’d come face to face with his sister. It couldn’t be coincidence, he thought. Yeah, it was time to talk to Michael and get his take on the situation.

*****

Dimitri shifted his weight to his right leg as he scanned the area. David’s contact had chosen an isolated location and that wasn’t something that had set well with him. David had insisted his contact and her associate didn’t pose a threat but he wasn’t so sure. He knew Otto had sent a team out to sweep the area prior to the meet and he had men in place that would have weapons trained on the cop and the agent the moment they arrived, but he was still uneasy.

“Would you relax?” Shakes turned his head to glare at Dimitri.

“This’s too risky. Meeting your contact in person was bad enough, but a last-minute addition?” He shook his head negatively. “You didn’t have enough time to check him out. The police department’s crawlin’ with dirty cops.”

“She trusts him.”

Dimitri sighed and shifted his weight again.

Shakes glanced at his companion sharply. “Don’t question my decisions, D.”

“I’m just concerned that you agreed to this meeting without insisting on more time to properly check the cop.”

“That shipment comes in five days from now. That gives us a very limited window to get this situation under control and move all the pieces into place. If Knight gets the kid to move that kinda weight without some kinda legal backup he’s gonna be trapped.” He had done a thorough background check on everyone Max was coming into contact with but he didn’t explain himself to anyone. Not even Dimitri.

He straightened up when a car appeared in the distance and came to a stop. The lights flashed once and fifteen seconds later flashed two more times. Before he could speak Otto leaned in through the open window and returned the signal and a moment later the headlights on the other vehicle were turned on again and the car began to come toward them. He felt everyone around him tense up when the car came to a stop and the doors opened. Otto moved forward to frisk them, remaining silent as he patted one down and then the other. He waited for his bodyguard to nod and move back before he approached them, holding his hand out to the woman.

“I’ve waited a long time for this day, Agent McKenzie.”

Mac shook his hand and studied his shadowed features in the moonlight. “So have I.”

“Officer Deluca, I commend your ability to see through the bullshit.”

“Sorry?”

“Not many people would’ve taken the risk of harboring a fugitive who’s suspected of killing another law enforcement agent.” He took a step back, remaining in the shadows. “Your record speaks for itself. If you had suspected Agent McKenzie of killing her partner you would’ve been the first to turn her in.”

“And yet you’ve got how many weapons trained on us?” Sean asked.

“I’d hazard a guess that you’d do the same thing in my position. You can’t be too careful. I’m familiar with Agent McKenzie, but you I don’t know.”

Sean tipped his head in acknowledgment. “What do we call you?”

“Atlas,” Mac said after a moment of silence. “It’s the way you sign your emails.”

Shakes nodded. “Your name will be cleared. After everything you’ve done for the FBI it astounds me that Walker isn’t pulling out all the stops to prove your innocence.”

“There’re enough people who’d be happy to see me go.”

He studied her for a moment before nodding. “They won’t see you go over this.” He shifted when Dimitri cleared his throat, urging him to move it along. “When we bring Knight down the truth will come to light.”

Mac smiled tightly. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to stay in the Bureau any longer. Maybe it was time to move on. “Do you think we’re close?”

“We’re closer now than we’ve ever been. I have someone who’s been working closely with me on this and I need your word that he’ll be protected if he gets picked up when this goes down.”

“I’ll do everything I can to protect him,” Mac agreed. “I can’t promise that he won’t do time if he’s – “

Shakes shook his head. “No, I need assurance that he won’t end up doing time over this because without his help we wouldn’t have a way in and I won’t give him up.”

“Obviously this person is important to you or you wouldn’t make the request, but we don’t have the authority to – “

“It’s not a request.”

Sean reached up to rub his right ear. “Would you agree to a meet with my captain?” He motioned between him and Mac. “We’d be there too but she’d be in a better position to make that call.”

“You’re aware there’re cops in your department on Knight’s payroll.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Not Captain Stone,” he denied.

“We understand that you’ll need time to assess the risk factor of bringing in someone you’re unfamiliar with,” Mac said as she nudged Sean back. “I’m of the same opinion but I am slated to meet with his captain and it’s a risk because she could easily arrest me and haul me in.”

Shakes crossed his arms over his chest loosely and considered what she was saying. “After you’ve met with her, contact me. This may be our first face-to-face but we’ve been working together for a couple of years. I know you don’t trust easily but you have good instincts, so if you feel she can be trusted to bring into this, that’ll be good enough for me.”

“How much time do we have?”

“We have two very small windows,” Shakes said as he leaned back against the hood of his car. “Our first window closes by Wednesday at the earliest according to what I’ve gotten from Pascal.”

“Pascal, Knight’s right-hand man?”

Shakes nodded. “I’ve got the conversation recorded courtesy of surveillance equipment.”

“That wouldn’t be admissible in court,” Sean spoke up.

“It’s surveillance equipment that Nicholas stole off of someone working for me, so with the proper argument would it be possible for the prosecution to get it admitted in court?”

“Good question.” Mac chewed on her thumbnail as she considered his question. “I’m not sure what the legalities would be in this situation. I mean, you didn’t plant a bug in Knight’s residence… the recording device landed with him as a result of a theft. We’d have to verify who the voices belonged to, the validity of the recordings, chain of custody…”

“Everything is time-stamped, though I realize that may not make a difference. There would be no issue identifying the voices, but if admissibility is in question the existence of the recordings can stay between us. We can continue as we have in the past and I’ll siphon the information to you. I have no desire to see the inside of a prison and neither of us has any desire to see the case against Knight thrown out because of inadmissible or illegally-obtained evidence.”

“The catch-22 or the justice system,” Dimitri muttered. “You won’t get it into court. No judge would admit it into evidence. It won’t matter how obvious the evidence is, it won’t matter that it would condemn Knight to prison for the rest of his life, all that matters is that you follow the rules like a good soldier.”

“I’ll talk to Captain Stone, see what she thinks,” Sean offered with a glance at the man standing off to the side. “If she thinks it’ll be the least bit questionable, we keep it quiet. You mentioned a small timeframe to work with; what happens Wednesday?”

“Your witness’s location has been compromised. Pascal’s men expect to move in Wednesday. Thursday at the latest. I didn’t get her location but I heard enough to ascertain that it’s a remote area, heavily wooded, and seasonally populated by hunters. Unfortunately he didn’t reveal anything else that might be useful.”

Mac glanced at Sean. Her witness was up there, but so was his cousin. “And our second window?”

“Knight has a large shipment coming in on Saturday night. I’ll have the location, time, and at least an idea of how many people he’ll have there when we speak again. Until I hear from you I’ll continue with the investigation.” Yes, he already had most of that information but he wasn’t giving them everything he had until he knew more about where this captain stood.

“I don’t know how the meeting with Captain Stone will go,” Mac said quietly. “If Sean’s wrong and she takes me in…”

“I will continue the investigation regardless,” Shakes insisted. “I will see this organization fall to its knees and when Knight goes down any question about your loyalties will be put to rest.”

“What about this guy you want protected?” Sean asked. “What’s his name?”

“Not until I know whether your captain’s willing to consider backing his immunity from prosecution.” He wanted to give Max as much time as possible to take things into his own hands, to make the decision to take an active role in bringing Knight down. If he made the decision to confide in Michael he had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before Sean knew who he was.

xilaj: Lol, yeah, there’s a lot going on but we’re getting close to seeing some things finally tied up!

Shakes is still collecting pieces and figuring out where they fit. Knowing that Ava is alive does take a load off for Max and he took a major step by deciding to confide in Michael and asking his advice. Will he talk to Liz? That’s a good question.

They’ll work out a way to warn Kyle and Courtney that Knight’s people are coming. Captain Stone can be trusted.

Shakes won’t back down from that demand. Max going back to prison is something he’s not going to let happen.

mary mary: Lol, thanks! They do have obstacles in their paths but they’ll do their best to get past them.

Michelle in LA: Lol, well… I’m biased but I think it’s a good thing that you read as the parts are posted.

How about more Max in this part? There must be people like him in this world… although they do seem to be rare, sort of an endangered species.

Hanging by your thumbs has to be exhausting… maybe we can take some of that pressure off today. Maybe.

Natalie36: Thanks for reading!

keepsmiling7: Thanks! Shakes won’t let up. Taking Knight down is at the top of his list of priorities.

Lol, hard to say at that age what would be the best choice: brother, sister, or dog!

Knowing who to trust is a big issue here and it certainly limits who they can pull into this operation.

begonia9508: Thanks!

Oh, Max is in too deep to just stop working for Damon.

If Shakes has his way we’ll see Damon go down very, very soon.

Alien_Friend: That’s awesome! Happy belated birthday!

Knowing that Ava’s alive has taken some of the pressure off of Max. Shakes is constantly putting the pieces together and figuring out where new pieces fit. We’ll catch up with him again in this part.

Shakes has been working with Mac long enough to know that he can count on her instincts to lead them in the right direction. He’ll do everything he can to shield Max and protect him from taking another fall.

Jenny’s father is a manipulator and while Alex and Isabel would love nothing more than to tell her what a liar he is, lol, they’ll do their best to handle it in a way that is more sensitive. She’s sorting through everything she’s learning and determining on her own that her father has told a lot of lies. Right or wrong, that’s a difficult call when it comes to what Jenny wants to do. But if she decides she wants to do it then maybe it’ll give her some answers.

Eva: Thanks so much!

Jenny’s father is certainly a piece of work. She’s finally in a place where she can be a kid and not have to live in fear.

roswellian love: Back with an update and plenty of Max. Damon isn’t getting what he deserves just yet… but it’s coming soon!

Author’s Note: Thanks for all the bumps! Once the holidays get here things get crazy!


Part 44

Michael watched Max as he prowled around the living room, easily reading the agitation in his posture. Every once in a while he would pause and open his mouth like he was about to say something but the moment inevitably passed and he would resume his pacing. “Why don’t we take a walk?”

Max shook his head. “No, we can’t be seen together.”

“Evans, if they’re watchin’ you they already know I’m here. Although they probably think they’ve got you too scared to open your trap. Let’s go out on the back porch because the walls are only makin’ this worse. Look, the girls are out doin’ whatever it is they do when they’re together and before the afternoon’s over they’ll decide that a barbeque is the best idea they’ve had all day.”

Max frowned at him. “How can you possibly know that?”

“Because I’m the one who suggested it.” He snorted. “Give me some credit here. Anyone watchin’ you’s gonna think we’re just hangin’ back while the girls shop or get their hair done or whatever. We’ll talk and then we’ll head out to the store to pick up stuff for a barbeque.” He shrugged and got to his feet. “C’mon, let’s go out back.” He could see a slight easing in the other man’s taut shoulders but he didn’t say anything as he sat in one of the chairs.

“You’ve never asked what I was in for,” Max said finally.

“I’ve never asked you,” Michael corrected him. “And I would’ve done the same thing with anyone in your position, so don’t take it personally.”

“I have a right to privacy.”

“You’re right, and I respected that until the night we went to the bowling alley. It wasn’t a coincidence that there were two armed monkeys tryin’ to blend into the crowd. Most people never even realized they were there, but I grew up around guys like that so they’re not that hard to point out. Even in a crowded area.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“You knew they were there. I wasn’t sure what was going on but they weren’t doing anything threatening.” He lifted one shoulder and leaned back in his chair. “And besides that, Shakes claimed one of them. Didn’t explain why he needed a bodyguard but he claimed him.”

Max smiled slightly at the annoyed tone in his voice. “I guess you tried to get some dirt on him.”

“Your friend’s a pretty mysterious guy and he must pay a fortune to maintain his privacy.”

He just shrugged carelessly. “Anything you learned about him would just be speculation. He hides in plain sight and most people look right over him.”

“I imagine that’s the way he likes it.”

Max drew in a slow, deep breath. “You ever heard of Damon Knight?” he asked, knowing if he didn’t get it out he was going to let the moment pass.

“My old man had some dealings with him. Not the kinda person you fuck with.”

“No, he’s not. I was workin’ for him when I went to prison. I could’ve skated on the charges if I’d been willin’ to testify against him but…”

“You wouldn’t have made it past the deal.”

“Yeah, so I just kept my head down and did my time. Ended up with a cellmate who wasn’t exactly a saint, but he was a good guy and he watched my back. I don’t know if I would’ve walked back outta there if it hadn’t been for him.”

“Same cellmate your whole sentence?”

Max nodded. “Unusual, I know. I just figured Damon arranged it for not rollin’ on him. Kinda like a reward.”

“How high up in the organization were you?” Michael asked curiously.

Max shook his head. “I wasn’t far from the bottom of the ladder, not really anybody important to the organization.”

“Then why would Knight bother goin’ to the trouble and expense of keepin’ you alive? It would’ve been a lot easier to just get rid of you.”

“I don’t know. It’s the only thing that makes sense though because why else would I have been assigned to bunk with a lifer?”

Michael shrugged. “Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Sounds like someone was lookin’ out for you.” He shifted to prop his feet up on the railing. “What about Shakes?”

“No, he wasn’t in a position to do anything like that back then and an arrangement like that would’ve meant someone was pullin’ strings.” He waved his right hand dismissively. “Not really important right now I guess.” He started to pace again. “I fucked up.” And with those three words a weight lifted. The situation wasn’t close to being resolved but just saying it out loud to someone who had been there in a similar way helped.

Michael listened as Max explained the situation, only interrupting when he needed clarification on certain points. The hesitation he had exhibited as he started to talk fell away the deeper he got into the story and anger and frustration quickly took its place.

“You’re in a helluva fix,” Michael mused when Max fell silent. “I’m not gonna sit here an’ tell you what you did was wrong. If we lived in a world where things were black an’ white it’d be one thing, but things are rarely ever that cut an’ dried. You had good intentions and you had your friend’s back, kinda hard to fault you for that.” He paused for a moment. “How much do you trust Knight?”

Max shook his head. “I don’t.”

“Good. I think it’s suspicious that he suddenly wants you movin’ large quantities of drugs when most of what he’s had you doin’ hasn’t been that significant.”

“Yeah, that’s been bothering me too.”

“Why keep you around if he doesn’t have Ava? If he’d gotten rid of her you wouldn’t be necessary. But he’s kept you alive and kept up the pretense that he does have her. He’s fuckin’ with you but why?”

Max shook his head. “Besides the fact that he’s a sadistic bastard? The only thing I can think of is she’s got somethin’ on him and she’s gonna turn it over to the cops. But she’d have no idea who to trust so I can’t imagine why she’d take that chance.”

“That is an awful big risk to take. But there’re a million reasons why women do the things they do and if we’re lucky we might understand a handful of ‘em before it’s over.” He scratched his jaw. “You’re pretty sure she’s outta the line of fire?”

“If Shakes says she’s safe, then she’s safe.” He was quiet for several long moments. “I don’t know what to do.”

“It sounds like he wants you to move some significant weight from the shipment he’s expecting and you’re in a position where no really isn’t an answer. You move weight like that you might as well kiss life on the outside goodbye. You need the law behind you to pull this off and even then if you don’t have a deal, you’re screwed.”

“I would’ve gone to the cops a long time ago if I knew who to trust.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I’m not saying all cops are dirty but all it takes is a handful of them to corrupt the system. And Damon has more than a handful. It’s not just cops on his payroll; he’s got people all the way up the ladder.”

“So what do you want?”

“I want out. I want Damon out of the picture so I can get on with my life.”

“You do know guys like Knight are just as powerful on the inside, don’t you?” He shifted and ran his right hand through his hair. “You roll on Knight he’ll come after you until he succeeds in killing you. You wouldn’t even be safe in protective custody.”

Max shook his head. “I’m not interested in protective custody or witness protection. It’s my life and I want control of it back in my hands. I know turning on Damon’s gonna make me a marked man, but I’m sick of living in fear.”

“You’ve gotta look at the bigger picture, Max. It’s not just your life that’s gonna be in danger as long as he’s alive. Everyone close to you’s gonna be a potential target. Best case scenario, he and the top level of his organization are taken out. With them out of the picture the target on your back disappears. There’s no loyalty among people like that so there wouldn’t be anyone hiding in the wings to take you out. Yeah, someone will step in and take over but you’ll be of no concern because basically you opened up a spot for them and put them in control. Realistically, chances of that happening are slim to none. Knight gets taken out his second will step in and take his place. That organization has more than enough money to keep running with Knight out of the picture.”

“I know, and I don’t care. I want out and I’m willing to do what I have to do to help take him down.”

Michael was silent for several minutes. “Maria’s dad’s a cop. Her family bleeds blue; they believe in the law they’ve sworn to uphold. You want my advice, talk to him and Grandpa. I don’t think every cop’s the enemy but I don’t trust all of ‘em either. You can talk to them and they’ll steer you in the right direction.”

Max nodded. “Can I ask you somethin’ personal?”

“You can ask,” he answered with a shrug.

“If you were in this situation would you tell Maria what was going on?”

There were just too many variables that had to be considered before he could really answer that question. “I haven’t in the past,” he said finally. “She knew just enough the last time to know I was getting in too deep. And she went to Jim – her dad, to tell him what she knew.”

“She turned you in?” His eyes widened as he stared at Michael in shock. “How’d you guys get past that?”

“It wasn’t easy and it took time, but the truth is it probably saved my life.”

“Knowing what you know now would you do it differently if you had the chance?”

“What, tell her what was going on?” He shook his head when Max nodded. “No, but I know myself pretty well so I can’t really say I’d do it differently. When things went down with me I had other issues goin’ on at the same time. I can’t even honestly tell you I’d tell her today if I got caught up in somethin’.” He scratched his head. “Not the way you’re suggesting. But here’s the thing, Max. You’re not me and Liz isn’t Maria. The way we handle situations is gonna be different. This is one of those times when you’re gonna have to go with your gut.”

“I’m tired of lyin’ to her. I’ve done my best not to just outright lie but a lie’s a lie no matter how you color it. She’s got her issues, hell, we all do, but she’s a good person and she deserves to know who I am.” He thumped his fist against his thigh. “I’ve put it off because I’ve been worried about her safety, scared she’d insist on goin’ to the cops because she doesn’t understand just how dangerous that is, but mostly I’ve just been scared once I tell her I’ll lose her.”

Michael made a face at the decidedly chick turn the conversation had just taken. “Evans, six months ago I wouldn’t have thought I’d ever say what I’m about to say. She’s different now and that’s because of you.” He held a hand up and went on when Max started to object. “You know what she was like when you first met her. Knowin’ what I know now, I can understand that better. My point is she’s come a long way and you’re probably in a better position than anyone else to know what you need to do.”

He shifted to pull his phone out of his pocket when it started buzzing and he checked his messages when he saw the little envelope on the screen. He held it up to show Max. “The girls think we should barbecue.”

Max snorted. “The girls think we should go shopping.”

“The good thing about that is guys can get in and out of the store in no time. Send Maria to the store for a handful of things and she’ll come home with a dozen bags full of crap we didn’t need. So it’s just safer all around if we make the barbecue run.”

“Do we need a list or something?”

“Just give it a couple of minutes and she’ll send a list.”

Max got up and started to pace back and forth on the porch. After several minutes he paused and turned to look at the other man. “Michael?”

“Yeah?”

“Could you help me set up a meeting with the cops?”

“Fourth of July weekend, did you like goin’ out on the boat?”

“Yeah.”

Michael nodded. “I’ll see if we can go out tomorrow after work. Doesn’t get any more private than a boat surrounded by miles of nothin’ but water. Just keep up that slightly nervous look you wear any time you’re around cops and anyone watchin’ you’s gonna think nothin’ of another boat trip.”

*****

Yoda batted at one of the small trees that bordered the ridge behind the burned-out husk of a farmhouse before she stretched out and started to chew on it. She was bored and being ignored was not something she appreciated. Sometimes her human had to be reminded that his existence revolved around her.

Sean glanced up from positioning a cannon and he frowned when he saw his pet gnawing on one of the trees he had painstakingly placed. He reached over and tapped the cat’s head to get her attention. She paused for a moment and narrowed her eyes at him, her ears flicking back just long enough to let him know she was displeased. And then she went right back to chewing on the tip of the tree.

He rolled his eyes and pulled a package of the tiny fur-covered mice out of the box he kept his modeling tools in. He tore it open and pulled one out, letting her sniff it before dragging it across the surface of the table in front of her. She followed it with her eyes, studying it carefully before one of her large paws shot out and landed on top of the mouse, pinning it in place. She nuzzled the toy and nipped at it playfully for a while before getting up, clamping it between her teeth and jumping to the floor.

“Whoever you marry has my sympathy,” Mac said after watching Sean and the cat.

“Hey, some woman’s gonna be lucky to have me.” He stood and leaned over the table to fix the tree that now had a crooked tip.

“She’s gonna need a steel backbone because you’ll let your kids get away with anything.”

He snorted and dropped back to sit on the stool. He went back to working on getting the angle of the cannon just right and chuckled. “You’re probably right about that when it comes to the small stuff. You’ve gotta know when to pull rank and when to let it go.”

“And you think you know that.” She rolled her eyes and placed another number in the puzzle grid before tossing the magazine aside. His captain had called to let him know she would be by after she finished handling a situation on the job. She glanced at the clock once again and frowned when he spoke without looking up from the tedious work he was doing on the model he was building of a Civil War battlefield.

“Staring at the clock won’t make her get here any sooner,” he murmured.

They both froze, their gazes locking on the door for a heartbeat before they turned to look at each other. After a moment Sean shoved himself to his feet and retrieved his service revolver, his thumb resting lightly against the safety as he approached the door. He relaxed slightly when he saw the captain and he unlocked the series of security locks to pull the door open. “Captain,” he greeted as he ushered her inside and locked up after her.

“Deluca, you’d better have a damn good reason for…” Captain Anita Stone trailed off as her gaze swept the apartment and landed on a familiar face and she resisted the urge to reach for her service weapon. “Perhaps we should start with an explanation since an introduction won’t be necessary.” She turned to pin him in place with a look. “Harboring a fugitive, huh?” She sighed and dropped down to sit in the armchair across from the couch. “I think I’m gonna need a beer.”

“You have dirty cops in your ranks,” Mac blurted out.

Sean thumped his forehead against the freezer door as his hands closed around three bottles of beer. He shook his head and cleared his throat before going into the living area and handing them out. “Probably not the opening I would’ve used.”

Captain Stone took a long drink before leaning back in the chair. “I wish I had reason to deny your claim, Agent McKenzie. The truth is we’re aware we have a bad element in the department and we also have reason to believe the corruption goes much higher. Unfortunately, we haven’t had much luck proving it. IA’s rooted out a few officers but some of us have a feeling that it’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

“Chances are good the corruption’s already infiltrated your Internal Affairs Division and they’re just giving up a few small-time players to keep the investigation from going too deep.”

“True enough,” Captain Stone agreed. “There’s been talk that you’re on the take, Agent McKenzie.”

“You can just call me Mac. I think we’re well past formalities here.” Mac’s thumb tapped against the bottle she held as she considered her next words. “And as for that talk,” she shrugged and spat the rest of the words out, “the people who’ve been spreading those bullshit lies can go to hell.”

“Captain, she’s clean,” Sean spoke up.

“If I felt any differently she’d already be in cuffs, Deluca.” She had known Sean and his family for years and she had watched him grow from an unruly teenager into an officer she was proud to have in her department. She knew if he was harboring Agent McKenzie he had good reason to believe she wasn’t dirty. “Is it safe to assume you’ve been hiding her since she escaped from the hospital?”

“Yeah, she’s just finally getting back on her feet. Knight’s men left some damage when they hit the safe house.”

“I was made aware of her condition when the BOLO was issued.” She studied the other woman with a critical eye. “You appear to have healed well.” She went on when she received a nod in response. “Alright, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that you didn’t ask me over here just to make me an accomplice to harboring a fugitive.”

“No ma’am,” Sean denied.

“We think we can bring Knight down but we need your help.”

His eyebrows shot up when Mac spoke, surprised by her words. “Yeah, that’s pretty much why I asked for the meeting.”

The captain shifted to sit on the edge of the chair as she looked from one to the other. “How?”

For the next hour she listened as they explained the situation, taking notes on a borrowed legal pad. When they finished she sat back and drummed her fingertips on the yellow pad as her brow furrowed in thought. “Your source,” her eyes moved over her notes, “Atlas… interesting choice of names,” she murmured. “He wants nothing in exchange for his help with this situation?”

“He has someone who’s been helping him, someone he insists be protected. It’s the only thing he’s asked for. He wants a deal, a guarantee that the guy won’t be sent back to prison.”

“I can’t make that call.”

“But you can make the recommendation,” Mac said.

“DA McCarthy has been back in the office for the past couple of weeks. I can make the recommendation but he’s gonna wanna meet with this guy your source wants immunity from prosecution for.”

“What’s next?”

“You’ve sent backup for Kyle but I have my doubts as to the effectiveness of one person against the army Knight will send after them. We need to move them. We can’t have a baby getting caught in the crossfire.”

“Knight already has people in the little town and every access road in that region goes right through it. The only other way out is the river and beyond the area close to the cabin, I’m not familiar with it and I don’t have anyone else I can send up there.”

“Atlas has the ability to put a team together. He would do it if I asked,” Mac mused aloud.

“Even if he agreed Kyle and Court won’t know anyone he sends. People come up the river and neither of them recognizes anyone they’ll start shooting before they ask a single question.”

Mac tapped the rim of her bottle against her bottom lip. “Which one of them is most likely to be watching the river?”

“Kyle. He won’t be far from the witness. Court’s gonna be hidden someplace close to the bend in the road. It’ll give them the opportunity to trap any of Knight’s people between them.” He scratched his chin. “Someone Kyle knows would have to be with them. Someone he trusts beyond a shadow of a doubt. It could only be one of three people: me, my uncle, or my cousin’s boyfriend. I’ll have to talk to them so we can decide who works best for the situation.”

“I can contact Atlas,” Mac said, “make sure he can pull this together on such short notice.”

“Alright, we’ll get that ball rolling and figure how it’s gonna play out. I’ll get to work on another safe house.” Captain Stone glanced over her list. “Next thing, the recordings your source has are inadmissible and we’ll have to work a deal with his guy to go in wired. You said there’s a major shipment coming in on Saturday and it sounds like this’s our opportunity to take him down. We have a lot of things to pull together in the next few days. You believe Atlas can provide you with evidence against Knight?”

“His information’s never been wrong. He’s careful and he doesn’t send me anything unless he’s absolutely certain it’s incriminating.” Mac glanced over at Sean. His brow was furrowed and she could tell he was deep in thought, probably trying to figure out which of his family members he was going to ask to stand in harm’s way. “Is there anything else, Captain Stone?”

“One last thing, Mac; I want to meet with Atlas.”

“I can set it up. He’s willing to meet and he’ll agree to us picking the location.”

The captain nodded. “Then I’d say we have a lot of work to do, people.”

*****

Max finished clearing the table and glanced at his watch. His stomach was tied up in knots as he thought about the meeting waiting for him when he got off work. He had no idea what was coming. His parole officer would be there. What if the guy heard nothing more than his parole violations? He might not make it off the boat without a pair of handcuffs on his wrists.

Michael was sure he could trust these men with his life. Which was good, he thought, because that’s exactly what he would be doing. He knew Michael wasn’t the type to trust easily and he wouldn’t trust them just because they were his girlfriend’s family, so they had to be worthy of the trust he had placed in them.

He took the tub into the kitchen and dropped it off before making the rounds and collecting the trash. He wheeled the large cart out to the dock area and down the ramp to the dumpsters that were waiting. He dumped the garbage and then sorted the recyclables, tossing them into their designated containers and then sanitizing the cart. He felt the small hairs at the back of his neck stand up just before someone spoke from behind him.

“Honest work looks good on you, kid.”

He grinned as he turned to look at Shakes. “Don’t you ever get tired of lurking in alleys?”

The right corner of his mouth lifted in a hint of a smile. “The things I’m willing to do for you.”

“Hey, thanks for the word on Ava.”

“Wish I’d been able to get it for you sooner.” He moved closer to the dock. “We only have a few minutes before I need to disappear again so we need to make this quick.”

Max frowned. “What’s goin’ on?”

“I know Knight told you he’s expecting a shipment on Wednesday night.”

He shrugged. “Yeah.” He scratched his jaw and squinted against the sunlight. “I talked to Michael and he’s set it up so I can talk to a cop he trusts and my parole officer. He’s confident I can trust them to not throw me back behind bars.”

“That shipment’s not coming in until Saturday.”

“Why would he…” he trailed off. “It’s a test.”

Shakes nodded. “That’d be my guess. If you’re working against him cops would swarm the dock on Wednesday night when he opens up a container that’ll be packed with something that isn’t drugs and he’ll have you. The cop you’re meeting with, you got a name?”

“Jim Valenti.”

Valenti, he mused as another piece of the puzzle fell into place. “When?”

“Today, after work. We’re supposed to be goin’ out on the boat, keep the conversation private.”

“He’s gonna know you went out with cops.”

“Yeah, but I went out with them on the Fourth of July and he never mentioned it. I’m sure he knew about that too. Like you said, he’s testing my loyalty to him. The cops show up on Wednesday night, he has proof I’ve turned on him. They don’t show up and he’ll think I’ve given up on goin’ straight and he’ll think he’s won.” He shook his head. “You know how arrogant he is.”

“Yeah, but don’t let his arrogance be your mistake. He knows you’ve unintentionally surrounded yourself by cops but he’s still watching you. There’s a chance he’ll blow it off when you go fishing with them because you have been out with them before. But he’ll also be waiting to see what happens on Wednesday night.” He tipped his head to one side, studying the pensive look on Max’s face. “What’s on your mind?”

“Damon’s holdin’ some guy – “

“The investigator. I heard.”

“He said this guy had my name on him but I’ve never seen him before.”

“Kinda the point, kid. He was hired to look for you. Knight will eventually order Santini to deal with him but he won’t kill him on the property. I have eyes on the house. When they take the guy out of the house he’ll be alive; my guys will do their best to prevent the guy’s execution." He shifted his weight. "I did some digging when I found out about him and he was hired by a woman named Isabel Evans.”

“Yeah, I met her. Says she’s my sister and I believe her but,” he shook his head, “I can’t let her get involved in my life. Not now. There’s too much goin’ on and it’s not safe.”

Shakes nodded. Dimitri had tracked the man down and broken into his office to search for his connection to Max. “You could do much worse in the relative department.”

“She seemed nice and the guy she’s marryin’,” he chuckled in amusement, “his heart’s in the right place.” Alex Whitman had no idea how easily he could’ve cleaned his clock. “They seemed to genuinely want to get to know me.” He shrugged. “They don’t know what they’re getting into though.”

“Not where Knight’s concerned, but you should give them a chance, kid. We may not get to choose our relatives but sometimes we luck out. I’m sure they know you’ve been on the streets, that you’ve done time, and I’m also sure they wouldn’t have sought you out if they didn’t want to get to know you. They recently adopted a five-year-old girl. Deciding to meet you, to share their lives with you to an extent, that can’t have been a decision they made lightly with the recent addition to their family. When this’s over maybe you should consider letting them in.”

Max looked up and met his gaze directly. “You think this’s ever really gonna be over?”

“Kid, don’t start losing faith now. We’re getting close. I’m working an angle on my end and you’ve got the ball rolling on yours. When Saturday night gets here we’re taking Knight down. Just be patient and hold it together because we’re almost there.” He checked his phone when it vibrated against his palm. “Time for me to go. You need me for anything, get a message to Dino and he’ll let me know.”

Max nodded and watched him as he turned to walk away. “Hey, Shakes?”

He paused and glanced over his shoulder. “Yeah?”

“Has helping me put you in danger?”

He shook his head. “No. I’ve been waiting a long time for this opportunity, kid.” In many ways taking Knight down was going to free him. “I’m just taking precautions. Knight has people watching you and being seen together could make him suspicious. We need him to be confident that he’s untouchable. He’ll be prepared for things to go wrong on Saturday night – he’d be stupid not to, but he won’t be expecting what we’re about to throw at him.” He glanced down when his phone started to vibrate again. He knew Otto wouldn’t send another message; if he didn’t show up back at the car this time his bodyguard would rush the alley. “I’ve got a few more pieces to put in place and when I do I’ll contact you again.”

Max went back to work, his nerves a little more settled after talking to Shakes. If the man had believed talking to the cop was a mistake he would’ve advised him to keep his mouth shut. He had no idea what Officer Valenti was going to say, no idea if his parole officer was going to just haul him back in, but he finally felt like he had some control over his situation.

Alien_Friend: Michael has been where Max is as far as learning to trust others so he’ll be a big help here. We’ll get to that meeting today.

Shakes has waited a long time for this day to come. Eventually we’ll discover why bringing Knight down is so important to him. He will do everything in his power to protect Max and to make sure he has the opportunity to have the life he deserves. He wants to see Max have his family in his life and to move beyond the prison of his past.

Lol, Sean and Yoda are quite the duo. So you can see a potential future for Sean and Mac, huh?

Courtney may just meet someone before this is all over.

Thanks! I’m so glad that Shakes has had such a positive impact on readers. He really took on a life of his own and he’s become a character that I enjoy writing very much. Taking Knight down has consumed his existence for quite some time – consumed is the right word! Somehow I don’t think he’s given much thought to what he’ll do with himself once he’s accomplished his goal.

Max is definitely leaning in that direction. He hasn’t liked lying to her from the start and he’s tried to avoid that as much as possible. It would mean the world to him to have Liz accept him once she knows the truth. She’s come a long way since she and Max first met and she may just be in a place where she can handle what he has to say in a mature manner.

xilaj: Thanks! Michael has taken a backseat in this fic, which is unusual in most of my fics, lol. From the beginning I knew Max would be at the forefront and he’s really been put through the wringer to get where he is today. He really has the forward momentum going and if he can hold onto that he may just get through this mess.

Since he and Liz got involved Max has hated lying to her. He prefers to be upfront about what’s going on but he’s torn between telling her the truth and protecting her. But he knows he’s reaching a point where not telling her could destroy everything they’ve built so far. Thanks so much for the compliment about the Max & Liz scenes!

Shakes has a lot of irons in the fire, but he’s waited a long time to take Knight down. Things are beginning to come together, but you’re right, lol – still a lot of nail biting ahead of us. Wearing a wire definitely ups the stakes. The DA… we’ll find out soon if he’s in Knight’s pocket.

I just love animals and their relationships they have with their humans. Mac has a lot more eye rolling in the future, lol. Diablo, we’ll be seeing him very soon. Enjoy him and Max together, huh? Maybe they’ll spend some time together in an upcoming part.

Natalie36: We’re definitely getting to that point and Knight is going to get his.

begonia9508: It’s taken a long time for Max to get to this point but now that he’s here he’s gonna run with it.

mary mary: Lol, well, it’ll be hitting the fan soon enough. Happy feelings are good… hold onto that.

As a reader I can appreciate reading a bunch of chapters at once… as a writer, well… you know, lol.

keepsmiling7: Max is gonna give it everything he has. And he isn’t alone, that makes a big difference.

Max has been very good for Liz… and she’s been good for him too.


Author’s Note: Thanks once again for all the bumps! Unfortunately I can’t blame the holidays this time. But Murphy’s done his best to suck up every free minute I have. I’ve got my fingers crossed that he’s moved on for a while.



Part 45

Mac watched Sean as he stared at the Civil War battlefield he had been working on since before he had taken her in. His right thumb was thumping against the edge of the table, an outward sign of his agitation. For the past hour he had been sitting there and the incessant thumping was slowly driving her mad.

“Maybe you should just say what you’re thinking,” she suggested.

“Huh?” Sean turned his head to look at her. “What?”

“You obviously have something on your mind.”

“Your contact, there’s something about him that’s been bugging me.” He shook his head. “I just know I’ve run into him before.”

“How would you know? He stayed in the shadows.”

“There was just something familiar about him and I can’t put my finger on it. I don’t know if it was his voice, his mannerisms, or what it was, but I know I’ve seen him before.” He shook his head and got up, going into the kitchen and opening the refrigerator. “I’m gonna have an egg and bacon sandwich, you want one?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

He pulled out what he needed and got to work, his mind still going over everything Atlas had said and done when they had met with him. He kept coming back to the man’s insistence that the person helping him be protected. It was while he was sitting on the couch eating his sandwich that the pieces started to fall into place and he sat up suddenly.

“I know who he is!” He slapped his thigh as he got to his feet and went searching for his cell phone. He searched through the photo album on his phone and finally found the one he was looking for. “Look at this.”

Mac took the phone from him and frowned at the picture. “A bowling alley?”

“No, it’s…” he moved to stand behind the chair she was sitting in and reached over her shoulder to press one of the buttons. “This one right here. Look at the guy sitting next to my cousin’s old man. It’s not a great picture but the guy didn’t care for having his picture taken. He wasn’t obvious about it but he knew where the camera was at all times.” He tapped the screen. “That’s him, Mac, that’s Atlas. Only the night I met him he was going by Shakes. I did some digging but couldn’t find much. Shakes is his street name and he knows your witness; they were on the streets at the same time. The day my cousin called here I talked to her, asked her for anything she might know about him. At that point it was more about finding out if he was into anything we needed to be worried about because of his connection to the new guy hanging around them.”

“But you didn’t find much.”

“No, I didn’t. Michael didn’t either and he has connections on the streets. No one wants to talk about this guy.”

“He had to know you might recognize him. He’s too thorough to have missed the fact that the two of you spent an evening together even if it was with a group of other people.”

“I agree.” He grinned. “And I know who he wants protected.”

“Who?”

“Max Evans.” He pressed the button a few more times until it landed on a picture of a man she recognized from Ava’s folder sitting next to a brunette. “The guy your witness wanted to know about, the guy who introduced us to Shakes in the first place, and the guy my cousin’s old man is doing his damnedest to get through to.”

“You can’t be serious.” She sat up straighter and studied the picture. “If he’s fallen back in with Knight – “

He shook his head. “He’s the one helping Atlas; he’s inside the organization. I don’t know if he went back in of his own free will or because he got pulled back in but he’s the source Atlas wants protected. Michael’s been trying to get the guy to confide in him and if he succeeds I have a feeling he’ll take him to talk to my uncle.”

“Your uncle’s a cop.”

“Um-hmm, and before you remind me there’re dirty cops on the force, he’s not one of them.”

“Right.” She smiled and nodded, turning her attention back to the laptop when she heard the quiet chime that indicated a new email. “Atlas has agreed to another meet. He suggested tonight if we can swing it.”

“Give him the green light. Things are gonna start movin’ fast once we get this next meeting outta the way. I’m hoping we can get Kyle and the others outta there without having to engage Knight’s people.” He rubbed his hands over his face and slouched down in the cushions. “That would be one thing settled.”

“We still have to keep them off the radar until this goes down.”

“Michael had plans he wasn’t able to get out of for this afternoon but he said he’d call me as soon as he was free.” He scratched Yoda’s ears when she jumped up on the couch and stretched out across his lap. “He’ll wanna be in on this and he can handle himself.”

*****

Liz pulled up in front of the restaurant and waved when she saw Max standing in the shade provided by the awning over the entrance. When he saw her he hurried over to the car and opened the passengers’ side door to climb inside.

“Hey, you’re early,” he said as he leaned over the console to kiss her.

“I was able to get away sooner than I thought I would.” She glanced at him as she pulled away from the curb. “You’re sure you wanna spend the afternoon out on a boat?”

“Yeah.”

“Since when are you interested in fishing?”

“I’m not.” He gnawed on his bottom lip for a few moments. “Liz, when I get back we need to talk.”

His somber tone drew her gaze. “Is everything okay?”

“It will be. I hope. It’s why I’m goin’ out with Michael, a cop, and my parole officer. The stuff I’ve been involved in, I need help to get out of it.”

“Are you gonna go back to prison?”

“Probably. I don’t see a way out of that. I swear to you I didn’t get involved in my old life because I wanted to.”

“I know. You were trying to find your friend.”

“Yeah, and maybe I went about it the wrong way but…” he shrugged. “It’s the choice I made. So I’m gonna meet with them and if I’m lucky maybe I’ll get a chance to make a deal with the D.A. and I’ll get a reduced sentence in exchange for my cooperation.”

“The people you’re involved with, they’re really bad, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, they are.”

“They’ll want more than your cooperation, Max. They’ll want you to testify and I’m guessing people who testify against them don’t live very long. Even if you don’t testify, just cooperate, he could have you killed. People like that do things like that, don’t they?”

“All I can do is wait and see what they’re gonna want from me.” He looked at her when she didn’t respond and he wondered what she was thinking. They drove the rest of the way to the marina in silence and when they got there she parked and stared out at the boats.

“You’re doing the right thing, Max,” she said finally.

“Do you regret getting involved with me now?”

“No, but for the first time in my life I understand why people run because I’m sitting here thinking of all the ways we could just leave.”

“We’d spend the rest of our lives running, Liz.” He smiled. “But I appreciate you sayin’ that. It means everything to me.” He reached over to cup her cheek. “Lookin’ over your shoulder is no way to live and you deserve so much more than that.”

“You testify or cooperate and you’re gonna be looking over your shoulder for God only knows how long. And you deserve better than that.”

“I got myself into this mess and now I’ve gotta find a way out of it.”

“Why now?”

“I don’t want this hangin’ over us and as long as I’m involved with them everyone I care about is gonna be in danger. When I got outta prison I had no one and I never expected I’d have so many people in my life. All I cared about was findin’ Ava and if I had to sell a piece of my soul to do it then it’d be worth it because she was the only one in my life who meant anything to me. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t wanna go back to prison, but I would’ve done whatever was necessary to find her and make sure she was safe.”

Liz studied him for a moment. “If we hadn’t gotten involved and you hadn’t made friends, what would you have done once you found Ava?”

He bit his bottom lip. “We would’ve run and never looked back. I can’t do that now.” He shook his head. “I won’t do that now.”

Her hand came up to rest against his cheek. “It would probably be so much safer for you if you did.” Her thumb brushed over his goatee as she stared into his eyes. “Will you tell me everything that’s going on?”

“Yeah, I want you to know all of it. From here on out I want us to be completely honest with each other.”

“Can you have Michael drop you off at my apartment when you’re finished?” She frowned. “Or do you think they might arrest you?”

“I don’t think that’ll happen today but if it does you’ll be the first to know. I’ll ask him to drop me over at your place.”

“I’ll order Chinese and we’ll get this all talked out.” She glanced up when movement caught her eye and she saw Michael standing on the dock, waving to get Max’s attention.

He followed her gaze and opened the door to wave and let Michael know he was coming. “You’ll remember to order – “

“Extra egg rolls, I won’t forget.” They had gone to a Chinese restaurant when she had learned that he’d never had Chinese before and he had really enjoyed it. “Max, one thing before you go?”

He nodded and looked at her. “Sure.”

“I’d like to go see my lawyer and get his advice about this situation.” She could see the hesitation in his eyes and she reached for his hand. “I just wanna know what your options are if you cooperate. Anything I tell him will be confidential.”

“I’d rather you didn’t.” He shook his head to silence her before she could verbalize the protest he could see building. “They’re probably watchin’ you, Liz, and if they see me getting on a boat with cops and then you going to see a lawyer, they’re gonna put the pieces together. It’s too risky.” He sighed and looked away. “I have someone watchin’ you, makin’ sure you’re safe, but if it’s at all possible the people I’m involved with have to stay in the dark as long as I can keep them there. If they find out what I’m doin’,” he swallowed hard. “They find out and you may never see me again.”

She tried to hide the fear she felt at his words. “I just wanna make sure you’re protected too, Max.”

“Does your lawyer make house calls?”

“He would if I asked him to.”

“If you feel like this’s somethin’ you need to do then I’d be more comfortable if he came to you.” He shifted to face her. “Liz, just be careful, okay? I don’t know how long this’ll take but when they’re done with me I’ll come to you.”

Liz watched him as he walked down the dock, his posture rigid as he faced Michael and shook his hand. She reached for her cell phone and pulled up her lawyer’s number, talking to him without giving him any specifics. He agreed to meet with her in an hour and she hung up, waiting until Max stepped onboard behind Michael before she started the car.

*****

Nicholas watched from the cover of his car as Max was greeted and welcomed aboard the boat by his parole officer. He had followed them down to the marina and used his binoculars to identify the others aboard the craft as soon as he had recognized the name of the boat Evans had been out on before. It belonged to that cop, Jim Valenti. His eyes narrowed when the Parker girl waited in the car and he realized that she was waiting for the boat to leave dock before she left. He scribbled a few pieces of information into his notebook, pausing only when he saw the boat being backed away from the dock and heading out into open water.

He tossed the notebook aside and started his own car, putting it into gear and waiting to see which way the Parker girl went before letting off of the brake to follow her. He was turning out of the parking lot when a car backed out of a parking space and cut the turn too wide, clipping the right rear fender and bringing him to an immediate stop. He threw the car into park and got out, slamming the door shut and stalking around to view the damage.

“What the fuck were you thinkin’, you moron?!” he shouted as he leaned over to examine the damage. “Damn it, this thing’s so new the paint’s barely dry!” He jerked around when the door to the other car opened and he rushed around the side to confront the woman getting out of the drivers’ side. Her voice was shaky when she spoke, which only further pissed him off.

“I am so sorry – “

At any other time her exotic features and her accent that suggested a Hispanic background would have captivated his interest. “Are you completely blind?! How the fuck did you not see me?!” He waved his arms maniacally as he motioned to the car. “You can’t miss the fuckin’ thing! Do you have any idea how much – “

“Hey, you wanna lay off?”

Nicholas whirled around to face the owner of the new voice and he frowned at the intruder. The dark-skinned guy was well over six feet tall, which completely dwarfed anyone of his stature. He drew his shoulders back and tipped his head back to look at the giant. “Unless this car or the moron behind the wheel belongs to you, this’s none of your business.”

“I’m makin’ it my business,” the man growled. “My sister, my business.”

Nicholas’ mouth dropped open as he looked between the two of them. “You can’t possibly be related,” he denied.

“You callin’ me a liar?”

He shook his head. He didn’t have time to get into it with some Good Samaritan over a dented fender. He had missed his opportunity to go after the Parker girl and he needed to report in to the boss anyway. “Fine, you’re related. Whatever.”

“You got your insurance, Sis?” The large man fumbled around in his pocket and pulled his cell phone out. “Here, I’ll call the cops so we can get the accident documented and – “

Nicholas waved them off. “Look, it’s no big deal.” He cringed internally when he looked at the damage to his fender again. Stupid bitch! “Let’s just forget about it. I’ve got a cousin who works in auto repair shop and owes me a favor.” The last thing he needed was for the cops to get involved. Damon would be pissed if he kept him waiting while reports were filled out for an accident that wasn’t even his fault.

As soon as Nicholas tore out of the parking lot, heading in the opposite direction the couple looked at each other. The man grinned and nodded in approval. “Nice work, Martinez. Love the crunch you put in that new car.”

She smirked and gave a slight bow. “I aim to please. And in his case I thoroughly enjoyed plowing into that obvious sign of overcompensation.”

“I’ll radio Dalton and let him know the leprechaun went runnin’ back to Knight. You radio the boss and tell him the kid made it onto the boat safely.”

“Should give Dalton a relatively easy night with Nicholas off to report in,” Martinez said as she reached for her cell phone. “Any idea why the boss is so interested in this kid?”

“Not a clue, but does it matter?” he countered as he slid his thumb across the face of his phone.

“No, guess not. He doesn’t pay us to ask questions. Whatever the kid is to him he’s pullin’ out all the stops to make sure he’s protected.” She glanced up at him. “Think he’s gonna bring Knight down?”

He paused with his thumb over the boss’s name and he lifted his head to look at her. “I think when the time’s right he’s gonna put Knight down.”

*****

James Valenti Sr. leaned back in his seat, his eyes following his fishing line as he reeled it in yet again. He wasn’t doing any real fishing, it was more something to keep his hands occupied while he mulled over everything Max had told them.

“I wish you’d come to me with this sooner,” he said finally.

“I didn’t know if I could trust you.” Max shrugged. “Yeah, it would’ve been the right thing to do in a perfect world, but I know the reality of my situation. I know the reality of corruption in the ranks of law enforcement. And I know how easily Damon can find out what I’m doin’ and get rid of me. Matter of fact I’m sure he knows I’m here with you now.”

“And what makes you think he won’t get rid of you at the first opportunity once he knows you’ve been spending time with your parole officer and a cop?” James asked.

“He’ll blow it off because he doesn’t think I’ve got the balls to talk. But now that I know he doesn’t have Ava…” he shook his head. “This’s my chance to really get my life together and to do it the right way.” He looked out over the ocean and he swallowed hard. “I know chances are good that this’s gonna put me back in prison and if that’s what happens I’ll deal with it. But I also know I have to do it or I’m never gonna get outta this life.”

Jim scrubbed his hands over his face as he studied the young man Michael had asked him them to speak with. He knew the request wouldn’t have been made if there were any doubts in Michael’s mind as to Max’s sincerity about going straight. “Do you know how many people you’ve potentially put in danger by your association with Knight?” he asked.

Max turned to look at him and nodded. “That was never my intention, but yeah, I realize what my actions have done. When I got out I never expected to get involved with anyone.” He bit his lower lip as he considered what he was about to say. “I’ve taken steps to ensure their safety though.”

“What makes you think you can protect them from Knight?” James asked.

“I can’t, but I have a friend who can. He has the resources to unobtrusively watch over anyone in my life that Damon might try to get to or try to use against me.”

Jim looked at the young man who was for all intents and purposes his son-in-law. “The guy you told me about?”

Michael nodded and moved his right hand in a take it easy motion when he caught Max staring at him. “I don’t know all of what’s goin’ on but when I was lookin’ into Max and Shakes a while back Sean said to back off because drawing attention to Max could put Kyle at risk.”

James exchanged a look with his son. “You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’, Jimmy?”

“Yes sir. It’s the only reason why questions about Max or Shakes would endanger Kyle. And I’d bet my pension it’s why Captain Stone wants to see me in her office this evening.”

“Who’s Captain Stone?” Max demanded. He looked at Michael. “I agreed to talk to them because you said they could be trusted – “

“Relax, Mr. Evans,” Jim said as he cast his line again. “Captain Stone can be trusted. She doesn’t tolerate dirty cops and she’d be the first to turn one in if she knew about him. Or her. If we’re right about our suspicions your friend is safe because my son’s protecting her.” He watched the red and white float as it bobbed on the water, letting him know where his line was. “Sean came to me a couple months back and he told me that Kyle had gone to ground with a witness but at the time he couldn’t give me much on the person he was protecting.”

“If you trust this captain then why haven’t you gone to her before now?”

“For him to be off the grid for so long she had to know what he was doing.” He smiled. “If the captain had felt I needed to know she would’ve brought me in on whatever’s going on.” He shrugged and slowly reeled the line in. “She lets me in on things when she’s ready.”

“What do we do now?” Max asked as his gaze bounced between them. “I mean, if you revoke my parole and take me in,” he shrugged, “I’m a dead man.”

James shook his head. “That’s what I should do.” He leaned forward in his chair when his floater bobbed a few times as a fish nibbled on the bait. “You know it’s very likely you’re gonna be asked to wear a wire when this goes down.” He sighed and sat back when the floater stopped bobbing. “Are you prepared to do that?”

“They’re gonna check me for weapons and surveillance. That’s the first thing they do every time I have to meet with Damon. I’m willin’ to do whatever’s necessary to help bring him down but if he catches me with a wire I won’t live long enough to take another breath.”

“We’ll work around that.”

He looked at Jim when the man spoke. “It’s not that easy and you know it. If it was you guys would’ve successfully had someone inside the organization before now.”

“Max, we will work around it. You’ve basically only had one person that you’ve been able to trust your whole life so I know trusting us is a huge step for you. But you’re also backed into a corner here and trusting us is the only way you’re gonna get outta this situation.”

“Knight’s waiting to see what you do on Wednesday,” James mused, the fingers of his right hand tapping rhythmically against the arm of his chair. “We’ll see what the captain says but chances are she won’t want you wired that soon. Not knowin’ Knight’s basically setting a trap for you to see if you’re about to give him up.”

Jim leaned to the side to pull a beer out of the cooler and he brushed the ice water from the sides before opening it up and taking a long drink. “I’ll get things rollin’ with the captain when I see her this evening and we’ll see how she wants to proceed. There’s always the possibility that she’ll want you brought in but considering the circumstances I don’t think that’s the route she’ll want us to take.”

“So how’re we gonna be in contact?” Max got up and walked over to the railing to look down at the water. “I know Damon has people watchin’ me and they’re gonna know if cops start comin’ by my place regularly.”

“You got a phone?”

“Just the house phone, not a cell phone.”

“Land line’s good,” Jim said as he reached into his pocket and pulled a small cell phone out. He tossed it to Max. “Hang onto that. It’s just a pay as you go phone. Our numbers are stored but unless you know the code you can’t access them.” He removed a business card from his wallet and handed it over as well. “Memorize the codes and then destroy that card. Chances are good the first thing they’ll do is get rid of that phone because it can be tracked. They could overlook it but chances of that are slim. You use it to call one of us or if we call you, delete the call log as soon as you end the call.”

“Got it.” His gaze moved over the phone, grateful that it had an actual keypad.

“Has Knight made any threats against anyone you’re associated with?”

“He’s made it known that if I don’t do what he wants that he has the ability to hurt anyone close to me.”

“He’s likely compiled quite a list since you’ve been let out on parole,” James said quietly. “The Parkers’ daughter, my granddaughter and her family, and now your own sister and her family.”

Max gnawed on his bottom lip. “Shakes put protective measures in place.” He shrugged. “And Liz, well, he’s had someone watchin’ over her almost from the beginning.”

“We’ve got a lot to do in the next four days, Jimmy,” James said as he looked at his son.

Jim leaned back and propped his feet up on the railing. “Four days to put together a plan to take down the city’s biggest crime organization.” He took a drink of his beer and shook his head. “Just another day at the office, Dad.”

mary mary: It’s good to be back and I’m glad to hear you haven’t been sent scurrying for the safety under the bed.

keepsmiling7: Yes, it is!

Shakes is doing his best to see that Max is spared a return to prison… we’ll have to wait and see.

Thanks! I’m fighting to get time to write at the moment, but I promise soon as I can get updates finished and posted I’ll be here.

roswellian love: Hope you haven’t fallen off the edge of that seat while you’ve been waiting!

Michelle in LA: Thanks, always good to be back!

Ah, c’mon, every update gets us closer, lol.

They certainly are… we’ll find out soon though.

Liz is trying to help. She may not know what she’s doing and she could step in it getting there, but she’s doing it with the best intentions.

That is always a possibility… definitely a worst case scenario, but we just don’t know anything about her lawyer, so…

begonia9508: Lol, the suspense isn’t over yet.

The only cop outside the family is Captain Stone… and so far she seems trustworthy.

xilaj: Thanks… Murphy is still dogging my footsteps but I’m doing my best to beat him off with the biggest stick I can find, lol.

You could be right about that calm before the storm. Liz does know quite a bit about what’s going on just from the little bits and pieces Max has shared with her. It means so much to Max for Liz to have said that to him. And her growth has been phenomenal!

Liz may just have some second thoughts herself about talking to her lawyer. You’re absolutely right about one of Knight’s clients being a lawyer that Max delivered to – good memory.

Max has also grown a lot throughout the story. He’s actively participating in taking his life back and doing what is necessary to make that happen. That talk is coming and it will cement things.

All of the pieces are starting to come together and that’s important if this group is going to take Knight down. Captain Stone has Jim coming in for a talk… the rest, we’ll have to wait and see. The captain is aware of Shakes’ existence and they’re all coming together to put this plan into place.

People and animals… there really is so much you can tell from their interactions! I’m glad Diablo (and his relationship with Max) has struck such a chord with you.

The people who work for Shakes definitely took pleasure in disrupting Nicholas’ plans, lol.

I’m very happy that you’re enjoying the story so much… hopefully I can get the next update out faster than this one, lol.

Alien_Friend: Lol, yeah, just a teeny bit of pressure.

Liz is right about Max needing a lawyer if he’s going to get a decent deal out of this situation. She’s willing to do whatever’s necessary to stick with him and help him get through this.

Shakes has a lot of irons in the fire and he’s only revealing them at his convenience, lol.

MP: Thanks! Posting more now!


Part 46

Damon slammed his fist down on top of the report Taggart had just given him. “What do you mean you can’t find the source?”

“Whoever’s hacking the system knows what they’re doing. They did try again but the trail went cold before I could pinpoint their location.” He shook his head. “There’s no way to track it back to the source.”

“Why would anyone hack the system and not attempt to touch the money?”

“There were several attempts to introduce viruses but we were able to block or remove them without any significant damage. The accounts are secure and there haven’t been any further attempts in the past 36 hours.”

Damon motioned to the door when someone knocked and Santini wordlessly crossed the room to pull it open. He stood back to let Nicholas in and checked the hall before closing the door and returning to his position behind Knight’s right shoulder.

“I want to know who’s hacking my accounts, Taggart. If I have to bring someone else in to do your job for you then I won’t need you anymore.” He shook his head and made a dismissive gesture with one hand. He turned his attention to Nicholas when the accountant had gone. “What is it?”

“The street rat’s out with that cop again. Parole officer’s along for the ride this time,” Nicholas said as he dropped down into the leather chair Taggart had vacated.

“Just the three of them?”

“No, that other guy, Guerin, he’s with them too.”

“So you’re bothering me because Evans is spending time with a friend who happens to be related to the cop and parole officer in question?”

“He could be telling them about our operation,” he insisted. “And you’ve never been able to turn those damn Valenti cops.”

“It’s my operation, Nicholas, and you worry too much.” He leaned forward over his steepled fingers. “What does Evans know? What do you think one cop and a crippled parole officer are gonna do? I own enough cops to know if they even think of trying to infiltrate my organization.” His eyes scanned over the documents in front of him. Hackers were a nuisance and they weren’t uncommon but it bothered him that Taggart hadn’t been able to track down whoever was trying to hack his accounts. If Taggart couldn’t locate the source then it wasn’t just a random hack job. Why hack the accounts but not touch the money?

“Boss?”

“What is it?”

“You want me to pull the street rat in?”

Damon slowly lifted his head to look at Nicholas. “Did I tell you to bring him in?”

“Well, no, but – “

“If he intends to betray me he’ll reveal his hand on Wednesday night. As you said recently, Max is paranoid right now. He’s trying to stay straight even though he’s in so deep he could easily be sent back to prison. There’s no way he’d voluntarily put himself back inside.” He turned his attention back to the more immediate problem. “Frankie’s having trouble with a client. I want him to stay out of it because he’ll kill the man. Take care of it.”

Nicholas was certain that Max was up to something but Damon was just as certain that he wasn’t and he was the one who called the shots. “Got it covered, boss. I’ll report in once I’ve taken care of it.”

Damon waved him off and didn’t bother looking up when the door closed behind him.

Santini moved to fill a glass with whiskey and placed it on the desk within easy reach when the boss ran a hand through his hair in frustration. It was going to be a long night as he tried in vain to understand all of the technical jargon in the folder. Knight was street smart but he knew very little beyond the basic understanding of how a computer worked.

*****

Michael scowled at the door when his knocking went unanswered. He pulled his key ring out and flipped through the keys, looking for the spare to the apartment. Sean and Kyle had both given them spares since their jobs could be unpredictable. He knew Sean was home because he had seen his car parked in its normal spot.

He unlocked the door and stuck his head inside, glancing around to make sure he wasn’t about to walk in on something he had no interest in seeing. He could hear the shower running and over that the sound of Maria’s cousin singing along with the radio he kept in the bathroom. He winced when Sean hit a particularly sour note and he shook his head as he closed and locked the door behind him.

He felt someone else’s presence in the large room just a heartbeat before he registered the sound of a round being chambered. He forced himself to stay relaxed as he quickly went over his options.

“Let me see your hands.”

Her voice was too calm, he thought as he slowly held his hands away from his body. She had to be a cop. “Save us both the trouble and just tell Deluca to get his ass out of the shower so he can tell you who I am.” He rolled his eyes when she ignored what he had said in favor of frisking him.

Mac moved around the stranger, cautiously keeping her distance and keeping the gun trained on him. Her gaze narrowed when he stared back at her impassively and she relaxed just a fraction when she recognized him. Her eyes flicked to the framed pictures and she quickly located him in several of them. “You’re his cousin’s… boyfriend? Husband?”

He shrugged. “Close enough.”

“Alright, I’m thinking we should order in since we’ve got the meet with Shakes…” Sean trailed off as he stepped out of the bathroom and took in the scene before him.

“You’re meetin’ with Shakes?” Michael asked.

Mac frowned as her gaze bounced between them. “He knows about Shakes?”

“You wanna tell your girlfriend to put the gun down and explain what Max’s friend has to do with anything?”

“I’m not his girlfriend.”

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

Michael raised his eyebrows at the simultaneous denials. “Uh-huh,” he said slowly as he crossed his arms over his chest. “So why’s she wearin’ one of your shirts?” His mind started going over everything that had been said on the boat earlier, everything Max had told him, and everything Sean had said about Kyle’s life being in danger if he didn’t stop poking around. He knew about Shakes’ involvement in Max’s situation and Sean knew something about Kyle’s situation that he hadn’t shared. But he was planning to meet the man with this woman he didn’t know. Max had a good reason for not trusting cops and he wasn’t about to let someone put the guy in danger.

“She a cop?”

“She has a name,” Mac growled, “and she can speak for herself.”

He ignored her. “Is she?”

“No, she’s not,” Sean answered.

“What’s goin’ on, Sean? And be straight with me.” Michael jumped when something moved next to him and he turned his head to glare at the furball that yowled loudly in greeting. “God, haven’t you gotten rid of that thing yet?” He moved to stand on the other side of the room, keeping an eye on it from a distance.

“I have no intention of getting rid of Yoda. Just because you have issues with cats – “

“I do not have issues.” He eyed the cat warily. “I just hate them.”

“He has issues,” Sean said with a wink at Mac, “because as a misguided teenager he tried to boost a car from a guy who had an illegally-owned bobcat.”

“You think it’s funny but it’s not. That thing right there,” Michael pointed at Yoda, “is just a smaller version of that bobcat and one night it’s gonna make a meal out of you.” His head snapped to the side and he glared at the woman when she had the audacity to snicker.

“Yoda doesn’t have some nefarious plan to have me for dinner. Just because that bobcat took a chunk of your ass, don’t – “

Mac lost it and started laughing at that point.

“That’s private information, shit-for-brains. You wanna get back to who she is before she passes out from a lack of oxygen?”

“She’s an FBI agent.” Sean glanced at her and nodded when she sobered. “You can trust him.” He turned back to Michael and motioned to the living area. “C’mon, we’d better sit down for this.”

Half an hour later Michael leaned back on the couch and ran his hands over his face as he stared at the ceiling. He had known bits and pieces of what they had told him and their information had filled in the large gaping spots. “You need to talk to Jim.”

“Captain Stone’s filling him in tonight and from there we’re going to meet Shakes. If you wanna be part of this you need to go too. We need to nail down how we’re gonna get Kyle off that mountain before Knight’s people get to them.”

“You said the only way to do it’s gonna be the river.”

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s the only other way in or out. Knight’s people won’t be familiar enough with the area to navigate the river.”

“You need someone who knows their way around boats.” Michael nodded. “I’ll need to make a couple calls but I think I know who can help.”

“You wanna bring someone else in?” Mac asked.

“I don’t know Shakes well enough to blindly trust his people to have my back.” He shook his head. “I have a family to come back home to when this’s over so I want someone there I know I can trust to get us in an’ out successfully.”

*****

Shakes stared down at the phone in his hand for a moment before tossing it on the table. He had just finished talking to Agent McKenzie and the situation was beginning to snowball. “Otto, this site needs to be secured for tonight,” he said as he handed over a slip of paper.

Otto took it and studied it for a moment before returning it. “I’ll take care of it.” He could feel the tension in the room and he was reluctant to leave his employer alone with his guest.

“I’ll be fine, Otto,” Shakes assured him. “Dimitri may be pissed at me but he’d never raise a hand to me. Not only is he more civilized than that, he knows I’d hand his balls to him if he ever tried.”

“You’re taking too many risks,” Dimitri snapped once the bodyguard had left them alone. He got to his feet and started to pace, his agitation obvious. “There’re too many players involved and you’re putting your life in danger!”

“It’s my life to risk,” Shakes said as he got up and walked into the large kitchen to retrieve a bottle of water, well aware that his companion was following him.

“Why’re you putting so much on the line for this kid?”

“I don’t expect you to understand.”

“How can I understand if you won’t explain it? I’m not fuckin’ psychic! You put your life at risk for this kid for some reason you won’t share and you expect me to just sit back and be quiet.”

“You don’t have to be involved in this. I wanted you to stay out of sight because you’re on Knight’s radar but you’re not a prisoner here.”

“I told you once before, David – I don’t need you to protect me. I’m here of my own free will but it’d be nice if it felt like you wanted me around.”

“I’ve allowed you to stay, haven’t I?” He took a long drink before putting the cap back on and placing the bottle on the island between them.

“Obligation, not invitation,” he bit out. “You’ll go out of your way to make sure Max Evans is safe, that he’s happy, but you won’t do the same for yourself. You’re doing everything in your power to make sure he stays out of prison, that he moves forward with his life, that he takes the risk and lets his family in, but you live in the shadows.” He slammed his fist down on the counter between them. “You live in a prison of your own making, David!”

“I have complete control over my life.” He looked up when someone knocked on the doorframe and he motioned for the man to enter. “Liam, get with Otto. He has a list of people who need to be at tonight’s meeting. Make sure they arrive without company.”

“And if we encounter any of Knight’s shadows?”

“Do what you have to do. We’re too close to risk compromising the operation.”

Liam nodded. “Understood. Martinez and Bernard are on their way back. I’ll look at tonight’s guest list and assemble teams to get them to the meeting location.” He rolled his shoulders and turned to leave the room, mentally going over the gear he would need for his teams.

Shakes opened the refrigerator and pulled out what he needed to make a sandwich. “I told you before not to question my decisions and that hasn’t changed.”

“You think this’s what Jeremy wanted for you?”

He slammed the mustard bottle on the counter and his hands gripped the edge as he stared at Dimitri. “You don’t know anything about Jeremy!”

“I know you stayed with the guy for a year, maybe more, and he didn’t have to beg you to talk to him! What do I need to do? Pay you to talk to me?”

“Jealousy?” Shakes growled. “That’s what this’s about?” He shook his head and grabbed the bread, pulling four slices out and laying them across a plate. “I don’t have time for such petty bullshit.”

Dimitri threw his hands in the air. “Fine, stay locked up in your self-imposed prison. I’m not gonna fuckin’ beg anyone to let me in.” He turned and stalked out of the kitchen and a moment later a door slammed shut as he left the house.

Shakes piled ham on the bread, methodically stacking the meat for several long seconds before he grabbed one of the plates and threw it across the room. His knuckles turned white as he held onto the edge of the counter, his head hanging low between his shoulders as he tried to rein his emotions in.

*****

Jeff was silent as he stared at the statue, his eyes unblinking and his mind running in a dozen different directions. He had been pleasantly surprised when his daughter had come by the restaurant and asked if he could get away for a while. Liz hadn’t been avoiding him exactly but she hadn’t come around nearly as often since she had talked to her mom about what had happened to her so he hadn’t been sure what to expect. He hadn’t expected her to want to walk around Central Park but he hadn’t questioned it. Her choice of locations to stop and talk hadn’t been expected but neither had the conversation that followed.

Nancy had cautioned him against bringing up Dennis Rhoads, telling him it would be best if he let Liz bring it up if she wanted to. Deep inside he still seethed with rage at the thought that some scumbag had dared to try and violate his little girl and even though he knew there was nothing he could do about it because the man was dead he wanted nothing more than to get his hands on him.

“Max comes here a lot,” she said, pulling him out of that dark place. “He spends hours here sometimes, just staring at this statue. I didn’t understand it at first but now I do.”

Jeff looked at her. “What does it mean to him?”

“It’s everything, Dad.” She nodded at the plaque below the statue. “It’s the code he strives to live by.”

He cleared his throat and motioned to a nearby bench. They sat down and he shifted so that he was facing her, his left arm resting along the back. “Liz, I know you said he’s gone to James and his son for help but it might be best for you to put some distance between you for – “

“No. Dad, people leave, that’s what he knows. I’m not gonna be one of them. I’ve never been good on following through with things, but I wanna follow through with this. With him.” She smiled faintly. “Besides, he has someone keeping an eye on me.”

“Honey, the people he was involved with – is involved with – they’re dangerous. I can’t stress enough just how dangerous they are.”

“I know Mom talked to you. She told you what happened and you’re even more determined to protect me now.” She shook her head when he opened his mouth to speak. “Dad, you have to let me do what I think is right.”

“You don’t know how badly I wanna just hide you away where nothing can ever hurt you again,” he said, his voice gruff with emotion.

She reached out to touch his arm. “But you can’t.”

“I know it’s unrealistic.” He smiled tightly and caught her hand in his. “But you’re my little girl and your involvement with Max has put you in a very dangerous position.”

“Dad, I know – “

“You don’t know, Liz, and that’s what worries me. These aren’t the kinda people who so much as blink when they put a bullet into an innocent. I’ve known people like that, honey, and you don’t have to be a threat to them to make yourself a target. Your relationship with Max makes you a pawn in a very dangerous game and these people will not hesitate to use you to get to him. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”

“I’m not walking away from him. He made arrangements with an old friend with connections to have me shadowed.” She was quiet for a few moments as she turned her head to look at the statue again. “Dad, I need your advice.”

“Well, it’s obviously not about what I think you should do until this mess is resolved, which means it must be about Max.”

“I asked him about me talking to Walt…” she trailed off when her dad started shaking his head. “He said he’d rather I didn’t but, Dad, he has to have options if he cooperates. The D.A. can’t expect him to put his life in danger and not give him something in return.”

“Honey, he put his life in danger the second he got involved with his old life. That sounds harsh but it’s the choice he made and – “

“But I told you he did it to save his friend! He didn’t do it because he wanted back into that life. He’s so sure there are dirty cops and lawyers in this guy’s pocket and I wanna help him but the more I thought about it the more I realized that if Walt had any kind of connections to those people I could be forfeiting Max’s life. I don’t know what to do now but I don’t want him to make a deal without knowing what his options are.”

“I’m not denying that his reasons were righteous but the fact of the matter is he’s involved in something illegal and there’s a good chance he’s not gonna be able to walk away from this without facing charges and more prison time. A deal, no matter how good, isn’t necessarily gonna save him from that.”

“But he needs someone with an understanding of the law when he makes that deal. He should have enough leverage to get out of this mess without going back to prison!”

“Honey, I understand his paranoia considering what he knows and what he’s seen but he doesn’t know any lawyers and if you’re not sure you can trust the one who’s been handling things for our family for years then I’m not sure who to tell you to go to. You said he wasn’t comfortable with you consulting Walt and you’re certain you have no reason to think you can’t trust him, so you’re gonna have to do what you think is right.”

“If he doesn’t have a lawyer he’s gonna get screwed.” Liz chewed on her thumbnail as she stared at the statue. She sighed and checked her watch. “I’ll talk to Max about it when he gets home tonight. Thanks for listening, Dad. And don’t worry, I won’t do anything reckless.”

Jeff forced a smile. “You already are, Lizzie.” He pulled her into a tight hug. “You already are.”

*****

Max walked into the apartment and pocketed his keys as he looked around for Liz. He went into the kitchen and pulled a piece of paper off of the refrigerator when he saw his name scrawled across it. He was reading it when he caught movement from the corner of his eye and he reached up to put it back as he watched Diablo’s reflection in the toaster. The dog was peering around the corner and when Max shifted in his direction, Diablo ducked back out of sight.

The first time the Doberman had done this it had scared the hell out of him. He had still been in the process of learning the dog’s behaviors and mannerisms when Diablo had started stalking him around the apartment. It wouldn’t have freaked him out so badly if the dog had just been following him but every time he had looked over his shoulder Diablo had quickly ducked out of sight.

Liz had come home and as soon as she had realized what was going on she had laughed so hard she’d cried. Now that he understood the game he didn’t mind being stalked because he won at least half the time. He took a few steps past the refrigerator and the moment his back was turned he heard the quiet clicking of Diablo’s nails on the tiled floor. He moved around the bar and into the dining room and as soon as he stopped he heard the clicking pause for a moment.

Diablo tipped his head to one side and he held his breath as he listened for any sound that might indicate movement. After a few moments he cautiously continued on his way, peering around the corner and freezing when he heard something behind him. His head snapped to the side and his ears twitched when he saw the treat bouncing across the floor.

Max fisted the air from his crouched position on the opposite side of the bar when he saw Diablo moving to the treat courtesy of the toaster’s handy reflective sides. He shifted and crept back the way he had come, intending to sneak up on the dog. He frowned when he edged forward to look around the corner and he realized the dog was nowhere to be seen. Before he could turn around a pair of paws landed on his back, pushing him forward as Diablo barked triumphantly and bounced across the room.

He picked himself up off of the floor just as the dog ran to the large pillow he used for his toys rather than for sleeping and snatched up the ratty stuffed toy he loved. He shook his head back and forth hard enough for the bunny to make a smacking sound as it was repeatedly and vigorously snapped left and right.

“Alright, you win this round. Let’s take a break.”

Diablo dropped the bunny and ran over to him, dropping to his haunches and looking up, teeth bared in his trademark smile.

“Nah, let’s go for a run,” he said suddenly. The apartment walls felt confining and he needed to move. Luckily Diablo never needed to be convinced to take a run and he was the perfect companion because he kept up with his pace and he didn’t try to carry on a conversation.

*****

Michael made a face as he parked his car and opened the door and the combined scents of horses, leather, and manure wafted past him on the warm evening air. He didn’t understand the attraction to anything involving horses. He ignored the offended looks aimed at him when he had the nerve to leave his car parked between a BMW and a Porsche.

“Sir, you can’t leave that… that thing parked there.”

He looked at the flustered attendant rushing toward him and he glanced over his shoulder at his car. “It’s okay, man. You don’t need to valet it.” He smirked when the guy stared at him as if he couldn’t believe he had suggested he might lower himself to actually climb inside the eyesore of a car.

“These spaces are reserved for members of the club, sir.”

Michael just stared at him. “So you assume I’m not a member just because my car’s a piece of crap?”

“Well, no, but – “

“That’s discrimination.”

“Oh, no, I didn’t mean…” He inhaled deeply and attempted to collect himself. “Are you a member, sir?”

“Hell, no. You couldn’t pay me to join a place like this.”

His mouth dropped open for a moment before he caught himself and quickly closed it.

“Relax, Grayson, he’s here as my guest.”

The man turned around to look at the owner of the voice and he released a relieved breath. “Yes, of course, Mr. Callahan.”

DJ grinned when Grayson hurried away, glancing back as if he was afraid that Michael might come after him. “He’s just doing his job,” he said as he shook Michael’s hand.

He snorted and shook his head. “I’ve got socks older than that uppity little shit.”

“I sincerely hope that’s an exaggeration. So what’s going on? You were kinda mysterious on the phone.”

“There someplace we can talk that’s a little more private?”

“Sounds serious.”

Michael looked at him. “Life an’ death serious.”

DJ nodded. “C’mon, let’s grab a table in the bar. Not too many people around right now so there won’t be much going on.”

They settled in a quiet corner booth and ordered a couple of beers. There were only a few people as DJ had stated and they were engaged in their own conversations or watching a polo match on one of the large screen televisions mounted strategically around the large room.

“I’m a little unclear why you’d contact me of all people. Not that I don’t appreciate the vote of confidence, but you have cops in your family so if whatever’s going on is that serious, shouldn’t you be talking to them?”

“Before we get into any of that I need your word that what’s said here stays here. And I need you to understand that what I’m about to ask does come with some risk.”

“You have my word and understood.”

Michael explained the situation without going into all of the details, his gaze constantly scanning the people around them. No one was really paying any attention to them but there was no way he was taking any chances. He kept one eye on the clock, knowing that he had a lot to do before the meeting took place later that night.

“So you came to me because I know my way around boats,” DJ mused as he tried to absorb everything he had just been told. He spun his phone around on the tabletop for a few moments before stopping it to press his finger to the screen. He picked it up and started running a search.

“You race them, you know how to navigate the water, and…” He frowned when the other man shook his head. “What?”

“Yeah, I used to race but that was on the open water.” He placed his phone on the table between them and motioned to the screen. “You see this? This’s just a basic map of the lakes and rivers in New York, but it’ll do for the moment. Yeah, I can plot a course to get us where we need to go, but that’s a lot of water to navigate and too little time to factor in all of the variables. One of the major factors is the water levels. There are so many things that affect water levels and with the time crunch we’re under I’ll never be able to get enough information to keep us from ending up stranded or worse.”

“What can you do with a few hours?”

“You said Sean’s familiar with the river by the cabin, right? And he probably has access to a secure internet connection? Okay,” he said when Michael nodded, “then I need to talk to him to get the logistics worked out if we’re gonna have a chance of making this a successful trip.” He checked his watch. “You said we have to meet with the guy coordinating things in the next few hours?”

“Yeah, I’ll let Sean know you’re onboard and they’ll send someone for you. Since you need access to a computer I’d say maybe an hour.”

“How am I gonna know whoever shows up at my door is one of the good guys?”

Michael smirked. “Good question. Pick up a pay as you go phone, activate it, and then contact this number by text.” He grabbed a napkin and scribbled down the number to the burn phone he and Sean were using to communicate and then added a four-digit number. “Text that code to that number and he’ll send you a pic of the person they’re sending to pick you up.”

“I’m just curious why you picked me. I mean, I know the boat thing was a factor, but… me and you, we’ve never really…” he shrugged. “I try to be a decent human being but trusting me with something like this, with someone you care about, that’s big.”

“You more than succeed at bein’ a decent person, DJ. If I hadn’t known that before, what you did for Liz would’ve removed any doubts.” He stood and they shook hands. “You might wanna pack what you’ll need for a few days and keep it light. Once they pick you up you probably won’t make it back here until this’s over.”

*****

Diablo grabbed his bunny and ran across the room when the front door opened and Liz stepped inside. He dropped the toy at her feet and barked in greeting, watching her as he sat down and waited for her to lock up again. His stubby tail wagged and his entire body shook with anticipation when she dropped her things on the table by the door.

“You look like you’ve had a good afternoon,” Liz said as she crouched down to lavish attention on the dog. She turned her head to look toward the kitchen when the sound of a lid setting onto a pot caught her attention and she realized the scent of food cooking was coming from inside her apartment. “Max?” She stood and brushed her clothes off before crossing the room to look into the kitchen. “Hey, you made it back early.”

“Yeah. We took a run an’ then I thought I’d get dinner started. Looked like you were plannin’ to make spaghetti so…” He trailed off and shrugged as he moved to stand in front of her. “How’d the meetin’ with the lawyer go?”

“It didn’t.” She reached up to cradle his face in her hands and leaned forward to kiss him. “I went to talk to my dad instead.”

Max winced. “And he let you come back home knowin’ I’d be here?”

She snorted and met his gaze directly. “Dad thinks it’s a dangerous situation and I know he’s right but I’m not going anywhere, Max. I still think you need some sort of legal representation when you meet with the DA, but I also know that’s your decision to make.”

“I can see what you’re sayin’ and I’m not sayin’ your lawyer’s connected to Damon in any way, it’s just a big risk. This thing’s days away from bein’ over if everything goes according to plan and if word gets out that I’ve made a deal I won’t live to see it put into action. Tell ya what though; I’ll talk to Shakes about it. I’m sure he has a lawyer on the payroll who could give me some advice.”

“That would make me feel better,” she admitted with a smile. “Do you wanna tell me how your meeting went?”

“Over dinner. I knocked out a couple chapters of readin’ after we got back from our run. I can’t really remember much of what I read to be honest but I’m ahead of where I need to be so I’m not worried about it.”

“Okay.” She nodded. “Are you okay to finish dinner yourself?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Go on an ‘take your shower an’ I’ll have dinner on the table when you get out.”

She bit her lip to keep from asking if he wanted to join her.

Max leaned in to rest his forehead against hers as he sighed gruffly when he saw the unasked question in her eyes. “Not yet, Liz.”

She rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around his waist as she leaned back to look up at him. “Think you’d consider shaving before you go to make your deal?”

“I’ve had it so long I don’t even remember what I look like without it.” He reached up to brush his hand over his goatee. “Think it’d be more impressive if I showed off my mug without the rug? Make me look more innocent or less threatening?”

“It does give you an edge,” she said as she studied him, “but I think that’d be there regardless. You might appear a little less intimidating without it though. I just worry they’re gonna see you as a criminal – “

“Which technically – “

“I don’t care about the technicalities, Max. You’re so much more than what you’ve done and they’re not gonna understand that. They’re gonna look at you and judge you based on your record and…” she swallowed hard and blinked to push the tears back.

Max cradled her face in his hands. “We’ll make them see it, Liz. It’ll probably only get me a reduced sentence but if you’re gonna stick with me that’s enough.”

She turned her head to press a kiss into his palm. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He smiled. “Then it’ll be enough.”

begonia9508: Welcome back! Internet connection problems suck! With the type of background Max has trust really is difficult. You’re right about dogs!

Michelle in LA: Lol, well, I don’t think Cousin Sam will be getting involved. If someone goes up against Diablo for real I feel sorry for them. Well… almost. We’ll catch up with Dimitri in this part and find out where his mind is.

Dimitri is the one who has been hacking Knight’s accounts for Shakes. He’s frustrated and it’s beginning to show. The more Shakes puts himself at risk the more his fear for this man he cares about notches up, and unfortunately, right now it’s revealing itself as jealousy. His concern is not only that Shakes is putting himself in danger, but that he has no way of understanding why he’s putting himself out there like that. He and Shakes have been acquainted for about five years. We will eventually get a look into Shakes’ past and find out why taking Knight down has become the focal point of his existence.

Natalie36: Thanks! Things are about to shift into high gear.

keepsmiling7: Thanks!

The statue of Balto is in Central Park in NYC. If you go to the Central Park website you should be able to find the statue and the story behind this brave sled dog.

Having a lawyer on his side is important – Liz is right to be concerned about that.

Max is trying very hard to do the right thing by Liz, for the situation and everyone concerned, and for himself.

Alien_Friend: Thanks! Lol, sometimes that holds me up for a few days, going back and trying to cover all of the bases. DJ is going to be instrumental in their rescue operation.

You’re right about Shakes – he has that angle covered as well.

We will be getting some background on Shakes soon. He’s going to reveal some of his mystery and answer some questions.

Michael didn’t think that story was funny, but I think he’s wrong, lol. Mac and Sean have been in close quarters for a while now. You just never know what could develop between them once this is over.

Michael does have an important role here and he will do whatever it takes to keep his family safe.

Unfortunately there really is a discrimination factor in Max’s appearance. Sadly there are so many people that are jaded by the justice system’s failures that potential successes just fall through the cracks. A person’s character rather than their appearance should be the deciding factor in determining situations such as this.

Lol, Max and Diablo have formed quite a bond throughout the story. You just know heads were turning while those two were out running.

Thanks!

mary mary: Lol, hopefully this part won’t send you scurrying under the bed. That’s a lot of Mylanta. Hope you can stop that soon!

Eva: Thanks! The suspense is still building and we’ll see the plan begin to take shape in this part. We’ll be learning about Shakes’ past soon; what drives him, how he came to be on the streets, and why taking Knight down seems to consume him to such a degree.

xilaj: Liz has changed quite a bit from the beginning of the story. She’s with a guy who challenges her to be a better person just by being who he is.

Dogs are wonderful companions and they have so much personality. Especially the ones like Diablo. Lol, Max probably would’ve been the last one to ever see that relationship forming.

There is so much at stake and they all stand to lose if this plan doesn’t work.

I think Jeff sees a lot of himself in Max. Certainly he’s concerned and worried because his daughter is involved but he’s also seen her growth since Max came into her life. Those three words at the base of the Balto statue are important to Max and I think Jeff can appreciate the way he tries so hard to live up to them.

Michael didn’t think it was as funny as the rest of us did, lol.

We will get to the meeting in this part and once that’s over things are going to speed up.

Shakes is under a lot of pressure and right now all it would take is one slip-up to bring this house of cards down. Shakes putting himself at risk is what has Dimitri so worried and pushing so hard at a time he knows he shouldn’t.

We will learn why taking Knight down is so important to Shakes. And we’ll be catching up with DJ in this update too!

And yes, you’re absolutely right about who Jeremy was. Shakes is a few months older than Max but he was also on the streets significantly longer than Max was.

MP: That makes two of us! If RL would cooperate we could all be happy, lol!

LuckyMiss: Welcome! Wow, that’s a lot of reading, lol. We’ll be catching up with quite a few of the characters in this part as the plan begins to unfold. The situation is tenuous at best and they all have something to lose.


Part 47

Dimitri could already feel his temper cooling as he crossed the large enclosed backyard. He absently noted the dogs that stood to investigate his arrival, unconcerned with their threatening presence because they knew he was a friend. He snorted and sat on the short wall that bordered the fountain that served as the decorative centerpiece of the yard. He didn’t know why he let himself get so worked up over the situation. For all the pieces of information he’d gathered on David he really knew very little about him.

“You have to be patient with him.”

He turned his head to look at the woman who had spoken. Alejandra Vega had come to the United States illegally; fleeing her own country after her husband had died in prison for speaking out against their government. He knew David had found her on the streets, hiding from cops doing a sweep for illegals. He had still been on the streets himself but something about her had spoken to him and he had taken her in, hiding her and helping her find work.

When Jeremy had come into his life he had maintained his ties to certain people and later when the man had passed and surprised David by leaving everything to him he had started helping them one by one. Everyone who worked for him had a hard luck story whether they had come off of the streets or not and Alejandra had been the first he had approached.

He sighed and rubbed one hand over his face. “It’s not easy sometimes.”

“Few things worth having are ever obtained with ease,” she said softly.

“Yeah, that’s true I suppose.” His gaze was drawn back to the dogs that protected the property. In the time he had been at the house he had never seen David show affection to the dogs and he had never once seen them seek out human companionship. They were true guard dogs; well cared for and highly trained without the distraction of being pets. It sharpened their senses and kept them focused on their job.

“The house is too large for one person but he allows no one to stay longer than what their duties require. And if that job takes several days he never allows them to stay overnight.” She met his gaze directly. “He permits you to stay in the house. Don’t you understand the importance of such a gesture?”

Dimitri frowned as he thought about her question. “He worries so much about everyone else, risks so much for others.”

“Your concern is understandable.” She sat on the fountain next to him. “You care for him a great deal but you have to accept him for who he is.”

“I just worry that one day he’s gonna pay the ultimate price for someone else.”

She smiled in understanding. “It’s difficult to love a man with demons that live so close.”

He ran a hand over his shadowed jaw as he glanced at her. “Your husband?”

“Javier was a good man, a strong man.” Her eyes took on a faraway look as she stared at the house. “He was a kind man.” She sighed. “He was haunted by his own demons and many nights I wondered which of us they would drive insane first. You can’t fight them for him and you can’t change him.” She reached over and placed a hand on his arm. “You can’t fix him.”

“I don’t necessarily want to change him. I’d just like for him to be a little more careful.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I’d like for him to feel like he can open up to me.”

“He’s included you in his current project.” She smiled when he looked at her, his sharp gaze searching her features. “Like most of his projects I don’t know what it is only that he’s working on something. What I do know is he’s helping someone who needs the kind of help only he can give.” She had needed that help once and he had graciously provided it, seeing to it that she was somehow given the opportunity to stay in the United States and earn her citizenship. “I also know that whatever he’s working on this time is dangerous.”

“How do you know?”

“Because Liam’s been around more than usual and Shakes has been more on edge than normal.”

“That edge is what keeps him alive.”

“Yes,” she agreed and stood. “And it would be a shame to do anything to disrupt that advantage, wouldn’t it?”

Dimitri watched her as she brushed her hands over her clothes before slowly making her way back to the house. She managed the house and like everyone else who worked for David she dressed casually. He didn’t care for uniforms and while he was the one who handed out their paychecks he never treated any of them like they were beneath him. He squinted against the setting sun as he turned his head to follow Alejandra as she paused on the expansive back porch to straighten the cushion on one of the chairs.

Her last words echoed in his ears and he sighed as he leaned forward to place his head in his hands. He shouldn’t have tried pushing David to talk to him. He knew the timing was all wrong but he hadn’t been able to stop himself. They were on the brink of taking down the city’s biggest criminal organization and there were so many things that could go wrong.

Knight’s people were running in circles trying to figure out what was going on with his accounts. They would never figure it out in time to stop what was going to happen on Saturday night. The moment Knight went down every one of his accounts would be emptied, wired to untraceable accounts where the money could be distributed however David saw fit.

He rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head before standing. He needed to rethink his approach with David. Waiting until this situation had been resolved was probably the best place to start. He stretched and walked back up to the house. With all of the players involved in the meeting later that night he wanted to go over everything he had gathered on them to avoid any surprises. Maybe he could talk Alejandra into making him something to eat while he got started.

*****

Maria was feeding Hunter when Michael walked into her mom’s kitchen. He had called a couple of hours earlier and asked her to meet him at her parents’ home. She had known something was going on but whatever it was he hadn’t wanted to talk about it on the phone. At first she had thought maybe it was an unplanned date night but she had decided against that because of the time.

“Hey, babe,” he said as he gave her a brief kiss. He leaned over to kiss Hunter’s head, smiling when the little boy gave him a wide grin. “How’s my boy doin’ tonight?”

“He’s wondering why we’re at Grandma and Grandpa’s house instead of at home,” Maria answered.

“We need to talk and I thought it’d be easier if your mom could keep an eye on him so we could avoid any interruptions.”

She studied him for a moment, taking in the set of his jaw, the tension in his shoulders, and the somber expression in his eyes. “Michael?”

He shook his head. “Not around him.”

“Alright. Go on out back. Let me take him to Mom and I’ll be there.”

When she walked outside a few minutes later she paused on the top step to watch him. He was sitting at the picnic table, straddling one of the benches while he stared at something only he could see. She recognized the look of intense concentration on his face and she swallowed hard as she reminded herself to hear him out without jumping to any conclusions. She drew in a calming breath and ordered her feet to move.

Michael glanced up when she sat down next to him and he smiled faintly when she set a plate in front of him. His mouth watered when he saw the pulled pork sandwich with Amy’s special sauce, chips, and cole slaw. He accepted the beer she held out to him, reaching out to unscrew the cap on her bottle before uncapping his own. “Thanks.”

“Dad said you guys didn’t eat while you were out.”

He nodded. He could hear the questions she wasn’t voicing and he could easily remember a time when she hadn’t had that restraint. Of course at that same time it had given him one more reason to push her away. Back then she would push, he would get angry and defensive, and in no time they would be arguing. They had come so far since then, he thought.

“You an’ Hunter, the two of you are everything to me,” he said finally. He lifted his head to meet her gaze directly. “You know that, right?”

She nodded wordlessly, unable to speak for the lump in her throat. He showed it in a million ways but he rarely said it out loud. She had learned that the things he felt deepest, the things he kept closest to his heart, were the things he had the most difficulty verbalizing.

“There’s somethin’ I’ve gotta do and I can’t…” he trailed off and shook his head. “I’m not gonna tell you where I’m goin’ or what I’m gonna be doin’. It’s safer if you don’t know.”

Maria bit her lip in an effort to control the questions that were quickly piling up. She knew he wouldn’t get involved in anything dangerous if it wasn’t important. “How long will you be gone?”

“A few days, just long enough to do what I need to do.” He set their beer bottles on the table and took her hands. “It’s possible that we’re under surveillance.”

Her eyes widened. “Are we in danger?”

“I don’t think it’ll come to that but I want you an’ Hunter to stay with your parents until I get back.”

“Dad knows what’s going on,” she stated quietly. “Will you be in contact with him while you’re gone?”

“No, it’s too risky for everyone involved.”

She nodded, knowing from his answer that her dad knew what was going on and relief washed over her. She had a feeling that whatever it was Max was at the center of it. He and Dad had spent the afternoon with him and now Dad was going to late meetings at work and Michael suddenly had to take off for a few days, destination unknown. “So we’ll stay here at Mom and Dad’s until you come back. What about work?”

“Everything needs to run like normal. If anyone asks, Doug’s sendin’ me down to the coast to help out with the damage from the tornados and you’re stayin’ with your parents until I get back. He sent a crew down a couple weeks ago so we’re good there.” His hands moved to rest on her knees. “Keep that pepper spray close. Anyone comes up on you an’ they’re the slightest bit suspicious spray ‘em like hell and run. You remember Little Ricky?”

She knew whatever he had gotten involved in was serious if he had called in a favor. He had run with Enrique Reza before going to prison. Little Ricky was barely five and a half feet tall but he had made her nervous as hell the first time she had met him. And that was before she had learned that his street name was The Razor. He was heavily tattooed and pierced, always armed, and he’d had a way of staring that was unsettling. He’d done his own time but he walked a fine line between the right and wrong side of the law.

He waited for her to place the name and nod. “He’ll be close by. You won’t see him unless someone threatens you in any way.”

“What about you?”

“My back’s covered.”

“Will it be safe to leave Hunter at the daycare? We could just call and say he’s been fussier than normal and we’re keeping him home for a few days. Between you and Dad I know the house is being watched. I understand things need to appear as routine as possible, but if – and from what you’ve said it’s an unlikely if, but if someone went after him there he’s not the only one that could get hurt.”

“Keep him home. Jim will make sure he’s safe.”

Her fingers traced over the backs of his hands as she studied his features. “You’ll be home in a few days.”

It was a statement, not a question, and he nodded. “You ready to get married?”

Her gaze flew up to meet his. “What?” She stared in disbelief when he uncurled his right hand to reveal the simple engagement ring nestled in his calloused palm. She looked up at him, seeing in his eyes what he would never admit out loud. What he was involved in was more than just dangerous and if she hadn’t suspected before, the sudden proposal would’ve been all the proof she needed.

Confusion marred his features when she shook her head and he looked down, watching her hands as she slowly, deliberately, pressed his fingers closed over the ring. “You’re sayin’ no?”

“No,” she said quietly, “I’m saying not like this.” Her gaze lifted to his. “Ask me again when you get back.” She reached up to frame his face in her hands. “I know you’re worried about what could go wrong, but what worries me is that it feels like you’re tying up loose ends.”

“Me an’ you, we’ve never believed in all that ‘and they lived happily ever after’ bullshit. We’re realists and sometimes reality can be ugly.” He gave her a half smile. “We do pretty good workin’ through stuff. We just do it our own way.” His expression sobered again. “I don’t know exactly what we’re walkin’ into but I do know things could get ugly. All I can promise is I’ll do my best to be safe and come back home in one piece.”

She sighed. “Can I ask you one thing, Michael?” She waited until he nodded. “What you’re getting involved in… it’s about Max, isn’t it?”

“That’s part of it, yeah. He’s jammed up and if he’s gonna have any chance of getting out of it he’s gotta have help. Your dad was there to help me when I needed it and now I have the opportunity to do the same for someone else.” He took her hands in his. “Maria, while I’m gone you’ve gotta keep the cover story goin’ no matter who you’re talkin’ to.”

“Doesn’t Liz know that Max – “

“It doesn’t matter what she does or doesn’t know. That cover story has to be maintained, do you understand? If you let the truth slip, even a little bit, to Liz or anyone else, it’ll endanger more lives than you know.”

Her gaze traveled over his tense features and she nodded. “I’ll stick to the story, Michael.” She had a feeling the next few days were going to seem endless.

*****

Diablo looked up from gnawing on a rawhide bone when his mistress stepped out of the bedroom. His stubby tail started to wag and the bone was ignored when she approached him and crouched down to play with him for a few minutes.

“I see you and Max went jogging past the pet store,” she said when he used his nose to push the bone around. “I’ll leave you to it then.” She gave him a final pat and got up to go into the kitchen where Max was putting the finishing touches on dinner.

“Dinner’s ready,” Max said when he caught movement from the corner of his eye. He carried the plates into the dining room and set them on the placemats before going back for the food.

“I’m surprised you know how to set the table.” Liz winced and pinched the bridge of her nose. “That’s not the way I meant for that to come out.”

He smiled as he filled the glasses and carried them to the table. “S’okay, take your foot outta your mouth and try again.”

“I just meant that most guys if they even bother eating at the table instead of in front of the TV don’t bother with actually setting the table.” She shrugged. “As long as the plates and glasses are on the table they think it’s set.”

“Oh, that. Well, we didn’t have much but Ava always tried to make our place feel like a home. She was always reading magazines when we’d go to the store for groceries. The kind that show all the houses, have decorating tips, and have recipes and stuff like that. She bought these cloth napkins one time and she spent weeks tryin’ to figure out how to fold them so they looked like some kinda bird or somethin’. Anyway, she did most of the cookin’ and I don’t watch much TV so I never had any problem sitting down to eat at the table. It meant so much to her and she really did make the place feel like home.” He smiled. “It was more of a home than I could remember havin’ and it made her happy.”

“Did she ever get the napkin folding figured out?”

He chuckled. “Not really. She had a couple of what you’d call the basic designs down but she never could get that stupid bird design right.”

“Thanks,” she said when he held her chair for her. “Maybe I could help her with that. I mean, if she’s still interested in learning.”

“I think she’d like that.” He waited until they had filled their plates before he shifted in his chair and reached for his glass, taking a long drink. “She’s safe, Liz. Shakes got the word; I don’t know how, but he did, and now that she’s out of the line of fire we have a chance to turn the tables on Damon.”

“What’re you gonna do?”

“I have to meet with Damon on Wednesday night.” He dragged his fork through the noodles on his plate. “That’s not the crucial meeting though; it’s more a matter of him making sure I’m not turning on him.”

“But what happens if the cops want you to wear a wire? Isn’t this Damon guy smart enough to find it?”

“Yeah, and I’ll admit that makes me nervous. But they didn’t think I’d be expected to wear a wire for the meet on Wednesday.”

“So what do they want you to do?”

“Shakes says the meet day after tomorrow is a test, that the real deal doesn’t go down until Saturday night.”

“If he’s testing you, doesn’t that mean he suspects that you could be thinking about turning on him?”

“Damon’s always suspicious of people, and even more than normal when he has a shipment coming in. He knows who I’ve been spending time with so he knows I’ve been around cops who aren’t on his payroll recently. When I show up for the meet on Wednesday night and nothin’ happens I’ll pass his test and hopefully we’ll just move on and he’ll setup a meet for Saturday.” He bit the inside of his cheek. “I know your birthday’s on Saturday – “

“And you’re the one who’s supposed to get me to the party.” She smiled when his surprised gaze locked on her. “Yeah, I know all about it. Dad doesn’t know that I know but I do. He shuts the restaurant down the Saturday after my birthday and he invites everyone to the party. This year Saturday and my birthday fall on the same day so it makes sense that’s where we’re gonna go.”

“I…” he frowned at her. “You know about it?”

“He’s been doing it for years.”

“Oh. Well, anyway, Damon likes to receive shipments like this one late at night so I should be able to take you to the party but I’m probably gonna have to leave early. I may be able to avoid wearin’ a wire on Wednesday night, but it’s gonna have to be in place for Saturday’s meet. So they’re gonna have to get me wired, test the equipment, and send me in. After that I just have to carry out my part of the deal and wait for the cops to show up.”

“If there are dirty cops in the department, how do they know who to trust to keep you safe? Won’t it take a lot of cops to take this guy down?”

“They’re keeping it close for now so I don’t really know who all they have involved. There’s a captain at the police department that Maria’s dad’s gonna talk to, but other than that I don’t know.”

“How deeply is Shakes involved?”

“He’s not a cop so his involvement is… well, I don’t really know to what extent he’s involved. Shakes has his own agenda. I know he’ll do everything he can to keep me safe and to make sure they take Damon down but there’s more goin’ on with him than what he’s revealed.”

“Maybe you could ask him?”

“Huh-uh, that’s not the way it works. Whatever angle he’s workin’, that’s his business. He wants to see Damon taken out and all I wanna do is get outta this thing alive.”

Liz chewed thoughtfully for a minute. “Does he have the ability to take Damon out? I mean, if he had the opportunity would he take it?”

“Yeah, I think he would.”

“Then I hope he gets that opportunity.”

Max paused, his fork midway between his plate and his mouth. “You’d condone his actions?”

“In this situation, yes, I would. If they arrest Damon, that doesn’t remove him as a threat. You and everyone you come in contact with would remain as potential targets, right? That’s the way people like him operate. Even behind bars he would have the power to hurt you and anyone you care about. The justice system can put him in prison – maybe – but he would still have substantial power. The only way to remove that threat is if he never makes it that far.” She shook her head. “Everyone you know is in danger as long as he’s alive, Max. My family, my friends, everyone.”

“I know,” he said quietly. “I had a visit the other day. I didn’t tell you because I just wasn’t ready to deal with it yet.” He turned his glass between his fingers. “My sister and her fiancé.”

“I didn’t know you had a sister.”

“Neither did I.” He shrugged. “I’ve always had these vague memories of a little blonde-haired girl, but nothing definitive. I don’t have any specific memories of her but I believe her. They have a daughter. I have a family, Liz.”

“What’d you think of them? Did you get to visit with them for long?”

“No, actually I ran them off as soon as I found out who they were.”

“What? Why?”

“I’ve already put so many people in danger.” He sighed. “I couldn’t let them in. When I first got into this mess I didn’t think of everyone I was putting at risk.” He dropped his gaze to his empty plate. “The only other person I’ve ever had to think of was Ava. By the time I realized what I had done you were already in danger. I’m really sorry I got you involved in this mess, Liz.”

“I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t scary, but you’re doing everything you can to make things right and you have some good people behind you. Just a few more days and this’ll all be over.”

“Yeah, part of it anyway.” He forced a smile. “Think maybe we could talk about somethin’ else for a while?”

“We need to go shopping because I need a new dress for Saturday.” She smiled and reached over to place her hand over his clenched fist. “And Max, whatever happens, we’re gonna get through this.”

*****

DJ blinked against the floodlights that came on right after a massive guy motioned for them to get out of the car. “What the hell is going on?” he asked as he squinted in an effort to see anything around him.

“Welcome, Mr. Callahan.”

His right hand came up to shade his eyes and he could just barely make out a shadowy figure standing between the headlights of a car. “Welcome to what?” he muttered.

“Agent McKenzie, we have a full house tonight.” Shakes stepped forward to shake her hand, careful to stay in the shadows as she introduced him to everyone.

“For all intents and purposes this’s your show, Mr. Atlas,” Captain Stone said after introductions had been completed.

He shifted his gaze to Agent McKenzie. “You said Mr. Callahan has solved the problem with your witness?”

She nodded and turned to the man in question. “Mr. Callahan, this’s where your expertise comes in.”

DJ cleared his throat and stepped forward. “First off, you can all stop speaking so formally. I hear Mr. Callahan and I expect to see my father coming up behind me. So going forward it’s just DJ.” He opened up the map he had been he had been working with all evening and spread it out on the hood of the car they had arrived in. “Michael, could you…” he motioned to one side of the map when the light breeze tried to lift it up. “Thanks.”

Captain Stone, Jim and James Valenti, Sean and Mac, and Shakes and Dimitri gathered around the car to study the map as DJ began to speak. “We’re in luck because the river by the cabin isn’t too shallow to get in and out, and it’s also not a narrow river. Taking it to the north will run you into the rapids and since there aren’t enough people experienced with whitewater I figured that was too dangerous so I started looking at other alternatives.”

Dimitri frowned as he studied the map. “The only way in or out is by that one road or by the river. What other alternatives are there?”

DJ grinned and dragged his finger across the map to point out a small airfield. “This’s our answer right here.”

“An airport? Security’s too tight to even risk – “

“I own my own plane. It seats six so that gets us in and gives us the room we need to get everyone out. Since you think I’m under surveillance as well I’ll file a flight plan for anyone watching. Michael said you’d send a couple of your people with us for backup in case things don’t go the way we’re hoping they’ll go.”

“That only gets you to the airfield. What’s the plan from there?” Shakes asked.

“There’s a lake less than two miles from the airfield.” He ran his finger along a large blue area and then followed a much thinner blue line. “This’s the river that runs past the cabin and it feeds directly into the lake.”

“So you’re proposing to fly to this airfield and then take a boat from the lake to the river and up to the cabin.” Dimitri studied the map. “How do you plan to get a boat up there?”

“That’s where your guys come in. I can fly me and Michael up there and if it isn’t imperative that your people fly with us then they can pick up the boat and meet us at the airfield.”

Shakes scratched his chin. “What kind of boat is it?”

“Inflatable. It can either be hauled in the back of a pickup truck or on a trailer. I have a friend who owns one and now that summer’s over I’m storing it for him. He goes whitewater rafting with a group of friends so it’ll withstand the trip with no problem. There’s also an engine so that’ll help us get in and out faster. Once we’re outta there we’ll be back at the airfield before the bad guys ever make it down off of that mountain.”

Michael smirked at his ‘bad guys’ remark.

“Good work, DJ,” Jim said, slapping the younger man on the back.

“Thanks.” He looked around at the others. “Do you think the people going after them will attack at night or wait for daylight?”

“Daytime makes the most sense simply because they don’t know the area and it’s easy enough to get lost when you’ve got a full day of sun,” Sean answered. “It’d be foolish for them to attempt an attack at night.”

“I can fly at night with no problem. Trying to navigate that river in the dark could give us some trouble though. It’d be risky even if I was familiar with the river but since I’m not I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“But if my guys met you at the airfield and you could be ready to go at dawn you’d be comfortable enough to strike out?” Shakes asked.

DJ glanced at Michael and nodded. “Yeah, we’d have enough light to get underway.”

“Then that’s the plan. D, take them and get with Liam. He already has an assignment list but they’ll need to know where to go to pick up the equipment and go over the plan.”

Jim pulled Michael aside when he and DJ were separated from the group. “Be careful, son.” He gave him a quick hug, knowing that anything longer would just embarrass the younger man. “I know you and Kyle will have each other’s backs up there but just remember the only thing that matters is getting all of you back home safely. You’ve got a family that loves you and wants you back home.”

“Understood.” Michael cleared his throat and nodded. “Maria an’ Hunter…”

“With my life, Michael.” He gripped his hand tightly and a look of quiet understanding passed between them. “You two be careful and we’ll see you in a few days.”

“That’s one part of the plan sorted out.” Shakes looked at Captain Stone. “I trust Agent McKenzie and Officer Deluca have explained what’s going on.”

“You seem to have all of the details hammered out, Mr. Atlas,” she said, tipping her head slightly in an effort to get a look at his face.

Shakes shifted to the right as soon as he caught the discreet move on the woman’s part. “I’ve done my best to cover all of the angles. But the one angle I can’t adequately cover is fully protecting the individual who has made this takedown possible.”

“You must know I can’t promise your associate a walk on the charges that are likely to be brought against him when this’s all over. For him to be involved to such a degree his hands are dirty.”

“Captain Stone, you have a commendable record, your career is untarnished, and I fully expect to see you take it all the way to the top.” He crossed his arms over his chest, the fingers of his right hand unconsciously stroking his forearm though the material of his shirtsleeve. “You know the value of the rules but you also know when they need to be bent. This is one of those times. The DA’s office gives criminals with major offenses on their records free passes all the time in exchange for testimony or cooperation. This kid isn’t a hardened criminal; he’s a hard worker who wants to make somethin’ of his life and your recommendation would go a long way with the DA.”

“I still haven’t met the person you want protected. You haven’t given us anything to go on other than your belief that he deserves a free ride.”

His lips twisted in a smirk. “Nice try, Captain. We both know you know who he is and once you met with Sgt. Valenti and Parole Officer Valenti earlier this evening you discreetly looked into his background. You knew any red flag would put him in danger and you couldn’t risk that because he’s in a position to turn Knight’s organization upside down.”

“I’ll still have to meet with him before I can make a recommendation.”

He nodded. “He’ll agree to that and he’ll be represented by legal counsel when he meets with you and when he meets with the DA. When he meets with Knight on Wednesday he can’t be wired. Saturday night is when it’s really going down and he needs to be mentally ready for it. You get him rattled for the Wednesday meet this whole thing’s gonna blow up in our faces and he’s the one who’s gonna pay for it.”

“You think Knight’s onto him?” she asked.

“You ever seen a snake play with a mouse? That’s what Knight’s doin’. He’s screwin’ with the kid and one wrong step’s gonna end this thing. He’ll kill him and never think twice about it. The kid’s got things under control right now but you fuck this up and get him hurt or killed and you’ll never get another chance at takin’ that bastard down. The kid wants this thing to be over so he can be free to live his life and he’s willing to do whatever it takes.”

“But on his terms.”

“No, they’re not his terms, they’re mine.” His voice was laced with steel as he stared the cop down. “He fully expects to go to prison after this’s over. I’m the one standin’ here sayin’ he’s not gonna spend another day behind bars.”

“Why do you care so much?”

Mac smirked and shook her head. He would never answer the question. It was personal and she knew he would move on.

“I hope you’re more interested in getting Knight off of the streets than you are in my personal business. I’ll set up a meet with the kid and we’ll continue to communicate through Agent McKenzie because I trust her.”

Captain Stone nodded. She knew when it was smarter to back off than to push forward. “You’re certain he’s stable enough to handle the meet on Wednesday night?”

“Without question.”

“Alright. You’re concerned about rattling him before the meet and I can understand that.” She glanced at Sean and then at Jim, running over everything they had told her. The last thing she wanted to do was spook Max Evans before he went into a meeting with Knight. “We can set our meet for Thursday but that puts a significant burden on all of us to pull things together in time for Saturday night.”

Shakes visibly relaxed, if only fractionally, as he nodded in agreement. “He’ll have more for you to act on if you wait until then and in the meantime you have other pieces to put into play.”

“James, I think you’re the best person to meet with DA McCarthy and explain the situation since the two of you have been friends for so long. We’ll set something up for Thursday so he and I can meet with Mr. Evans and see what we can do.”

“The kid and his attorney,” Shakes reminded her. “He walks away with a deal or he just walks away.” He wasn’t negotiating and that was final.

Michelle in LA: We’ll have to wait and see what happens with that meeting. It’s not upon us just yet.

Well, they’re actually at her apartment in that scene and Nicholas did go by Max’s place but he never got a foot in the door. Perhaps he should’ve handled things a little differently, but this’s what he felt comfortable with.

Maria might have wanted that ring, lol, but no way was she accepting it under those circumstances.

Thanks! Alejandra did give Dimitri something to think about.

Unfortunately the Captain isn’t in a position to grant immunity. And there’s a lot riding on them trusting someone who has a record and of course, Shakes.

We will be catching up with Max again soon. We do a bit of bouncing around in this update.

Shakes’ people will drive to the small airfield where DJ and Michael will fly to in his small plane. From there they’ll go to the lake and launch the raft. DJ has the mechanics of rafting in and out to Ava and Kyle’s location and he’s assured me it’ll work.

Well, lol, a lot of those involved are civilians. They only have a small handful of cops that they’re certain can be trusted.

Natalie36: It’s coming…

roswellian love: Everything is working in that direction and Knight’s number is coming up.

We will learn what happened to Shakes.

keepsmiling7: Lol, you guys might be there for a bit longer then.

That was a tasty meal!

Everyone involved is trying hard to keep them safe.

Alien_Friend: Shakes isn’t backing down – he wants Max taken care of.

Sadly, that is the only way to stop him and Shakes has every intention of doing just that.

Aww, I take that as a great compliment! Michael will do anything it takes to protect his family.

Deep inside, Dimitri knows that pushing Shakes isn’t going to get him anywhere but having the reminder from Alejandra helped ground him.

Shakes is most comfortable in the shadows. It’s his choice to be there and that’s the most important thing.

begonia9508: Unfortunately, that’s a sad reality. So taking Knight down completely is the only option.

LuckyMiss: Shakes will do everything in his power to protect those he cares about. They do all have a lot to lose but they’re gonna fight hard to hold on.

Michael and Maria’s relationship has been through the fire and they’ve come out stronger for it. Maria agrees with you and should anything at all happen to Michael there’s gonna be hell to pay for somebody. Max feels it’s necessary to be as honest as possible with Liz. She’s safer if she has an idea what’s really going on.

There is a lot going on and while some things may go according to plan, others may not. Either way, there are plenty of people there to keep the plan in action.

xilaj: Shakes won’t stand for Max getting a bad deal here. We will learn about his history with Knight and why he’s so intent on taking him down.

That talk with Alejandra helped Dimitri see that while it may not seem like a lot, Shakes has really let him into his life in a way he has allowed no other person.

We will be catching up with Max soon. He does have a lot rolling around in his head and we’ll learn what it is before too long. The possibility of things going wrong is definitely real and that’s also keeping him on edge.

mary mary: Lol, c’mon... the plan has been set in motion! Sure, something could – and probably will – go wrong, but they’ll do their best to be ready for any eventuality.


Part 48

Courtney grabbed the radio when it crackled to life, rolling away from the sniper rifle set up on the rocky ledge she had called home since her arrival on the mountain. She hadn’t left her camp once she had settled in, communicating with Kyle via the long-range handheld radios she had brought with her. She pressed the button on the side of the radio and responded to the call.

“What’s up, Valenti?”

“Not sure. I’ve got bird activity back this way. Could be nothin’ but I’m gonna go check it out.”

“Alright, radio back as soon as you know what’s up and, Valenti? Be safe,” she said and clipped the radio to her bulletproof vest. “Damn it,” she growled as she grabbed the rifle and swung around, bringing it up to scan the area beyond the cabin through the scope. The trees were dense and made it difficult to see the river.

Kyle made his way through the woods along the path that had been cut out to the river. He squinted against the sun that was quickly rising and reflecting off of the water and he paused on the overhang, straining to hear anything that was out of place. The water that rushed by combined with the water dripping from the leaves from the rain that had started falling before dawn made it difficult to distinguish sounds no matter how hard he tried. Even though the rapids were further upstream the river was deep and the current was strong.

His heart was hammering, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he scrambled along the slick rocks to make it to higher ground. He was certain that if anyone was on the river it was hunters or fishermen, it couldn’t be Knight’s people. Finding them would be lucky enough, but coming up on them by river? That was just beyond the realm of possibility. But until he saw what and who was out there with his own eyes he wasn’t going to be at ease.

He shifted the shoulder strap on the rifle and the fingertips of his right hand brushed against the gun holstered on his thigh. He reached the overlook and used the trees for cover as he leaned out to scan the river. He froze when he saw a large inflatable raft type of boat bobbing against the shore about half a mile away. He grabbed his radio off of his vest and double checked the channel before pressing the talk button on the thin wire that ran down from the earpiece.

“We’ve got company,” he murmured quietly. He freed the rifle and dropped down on his stomach, using the scope to try and identify the boaters.

Courtney’s breathing slowed as she waited for him to report in. She had to trust him to hold off Knight’s men if they came in from that direction because moving from her position would take away the only advantage they had. She kept her gaze locked on the gravel entry in case they were going to have company coming at them from two sides. She smiled grimly when she heard Kyle curse under his breath.

“I’ve got activity an inflatable boat, looks to be two… three men… No, no, make that four people, three men and one woman.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” she muttered. “Knight doesn’t use women in his organization, not in this capacity.”

Inside the cabin Ava was pacing restlessly, unable to remain still while she waited for whatever was coming at them. She could hear the conversation going on between Kyle and Courtney, courtesy of the radio and earpiece she had been given, but she remained silent to avoid distracting them.

She looked down at Cadence when the baby started to fuss. “Shh, sweetie, it’s gonna be okay. Kyle won’t let anyone hurt us,” she murmured quietly. “We need to be quiet in case it’s Damon’s people.” She started to hum as she rocked her daughter, her thoughts focused on what was waiting on the other side of the door.

Kyle felt his muscles tense when the boat began to move and it brought the people onboard into better focus. They were geared up in bulletproof vests and the weapons were visible from his vantage point. The boat had an outboard motor but they were using the paddles. “Probably to keep quiet,” he mused. He trained the scope on the woman before moving on to the burly man sitting ahead of her. He shifted the rifle, lining up the third man, and he frowned at the ball cap and sunglasses hiding the man’s features. “C’mon, and show yourself.”

He heard a couple of clicks over the headset and he pressed the talk button a couple of times in rapid succession to let Courtney know he was still trying to determine the threat factor. They were getting closer and he was going to have to make a decision soon. Movement caught his eye and he shifted back to the guy in the sunglasses when he took his hat and glasses off to run the side of his wrist over his forehead and for a moment it brought him into clear view.

He made a grab for his radio. “Court, they’re friendly! I don’t know what’s goin’ on but they’re not Knight’s people.”

“Keep me informed. I’ll maintain my position in case of an approach from this direction.”

“Understood.” He shouldered his rifle and retraced his steps back to the path that led down to the water. His hand rested on the handgun strapped to his right thigh as he waited for the boat to come into view from his position. He saw the people in the boat tense when they saw him and then heard Michael reassuring them that he wasn’t one of Knight’s people.

“You ready to get the hell outta here?” Michael asked when DJ tossed the rope to Kyle so he could pull the boat in closer to tie it down.

Kyle reached down to give him a hand out of the boat. “What’re you doin’ up here?”

“Long story and one better told while we get you ready to move,” the woman said as she stepped on shore.

“And you are?”

“Martinez,” she said and shook his hand. She hooked a thumb over her shoulder to motion at the large man gathering up equipment. “That’s Bernard. We’re gonna get you outta here and we’ll wait for Knight’s people to show. They’re already on the mountain, so we have precious little time to get your witness outta the line of fire.”

“Do you know how much time we have?”

Michael shook his head. “All we know is they’re on the mountain and they were expected to reach your location today or tomorrow.”

“How’s the water back the way you came in?”

“Not bad and we’ll take it as easy as we can when we head back,” DJ assured him. “Heard we’re gonna have precious cargo onboard.”

“Yeah, what’s up with the kid, Valenti?”

Kyle glanced at Michael and grinned. “She’s amazing, man. You wouldn’t believe how much she’s grown and changed in the past couple months. She loves the water – “

“Sounds like you’ve got the bug,” Bernard said with a laugh. He hefted a large heavy duty canvas bag out and Martinez grabbed it.

She smiled to herself when she caught the looks going back and forth between Valenti and Guerin. “Knight’s men are comin’ for a war and we’re gonna give it to ‘em. They won’t make it past us.”

“Pretty confident of yourselves considering who you’re goin’ up against,” Kyle said.

“No point comin’ up here if we weren’t.” Bernard shouldered a second bag and clambered out onto solid ground. “We’ll need to go over the perimeter and any special surprises you’ve set up before we ship you out. Deluca said you’ve got a prime ambush spot and that’s probably where your backup’s stationed so we’ll also need to have a look at that.”

“You two aren’t cops and you’re not Feds.” Kyle glanced at his brother-in-law with a questioning look. “You sure about them?”

“Sean set everything up. I’ll explain once we’re on the move.”

His gaze moved over them once more before he nodded. “Alright, maybe we should let them talk to Courtney while we work on getting outta the line of fire.”

*****

Damon walked out onto the wide back deck, taking a seat at the table and snapping his newspaper open. He paid no attention to the armed men set up around the perimeter of the grounds as he browsed the box scores. He glanced up when Santini joined him and placed a plate of steak and eggs on the table before him. The bodyguard nodded at the open door behind him and he checked to see Pascal waiting there, his posture as rigid as always. Nicholas was slouched carelessly in the doorway next to him.

“Send them out.”

Santini nodded and motioned for the other men to join the boss before he stepped back to take his place at Damon’s right shoulder.

Damon folded his paper and set it aside, picking up his knife and fork to cut into the steak. “What’s the status of our operation up north?”

“Talked to Griffin just before I got here and he said they’ve pinpointed their location.”

“Witnesses?”

He shook his head. “Cabin’s isolated and no other cabins nearby. Just the store owner and his wife. They’ll take care of them once the job’s finished.”

“Too risky,” Damon said as he took a bite. “They’re that isolated it’s just a matter of getting rid of the bodies and making sure there’s no evidence our people were ever there. Killing the store owners just draws attention.”

“Boss, I’m not trying to tell you your business but if the bodies were ever discovered – “

His eyes narrowed. “Then you’ll want to make sure they’re never discovered, won’t you?” He went back to browsing the paper. “You’ve sent backup?”

“Yeah, they’re on their way. They’ll reach Griffin and Carlos by noon and the witness will be dead before nightfall.”

Damon nodded. “I want another sweep of the docks done.” He finally turned his attention to Nicholas. “What’s the street rat up to?”

“Not much. He’s at work again. He’s nervous but he seems to be hiding it well for now.”

He smirked and nodded. “I figured as much. I’ve met with my contacts at the Valenti’s precinct and there’s no indication that they’ve initiated an investigation into the organization or into the street rat but I still want you to keep an eye on him.”

“Want me to lean on him a little bit?” Nicholas asked eagerly. “Maybe move in on that sweet little piece of ass he’s hooked up with? Remind him that he’d better stay in line and how easy it’ll be to get to her if he doesn’t play along?”

“No. All you’ll do is create more problems if you initiate contact with the girl. I want him focused when things go down. You distract him with something like that and he loses focus, goes to the cops he knows because he’s not thinking straight, and the next thing I know I’ll have cops at my door looking for you.”

Pascal snorted at Nicholas’ behavior. “That the only way you can get it up? Didn’t work so well for you with Ava, now did it?” He reached over to flick the younger man’s shorter left ear. “Should’ve taught you a lesson when she lopped half of that damn thing off.”

“She’ll get hers.” He shrugged his shoulders and leaned forward to rest his forearms on the table, pretending that the digs didn’t bother him. “Think I could get some breakfast, boss?”

He pointed to the door with his knife when Nicholas looked at Santini expectantly. “You want something get off your ass and go get it from the kitchen.” He waited until he was alone with Pascal before speaking again. “I want to be notified the minute Ava is no longer a threat.”

“It may be late. They’ll have to handle cleanup and get back out of the mountains. Griffin said there was no reception at all once they got into the higher elevation.” He nodded when the boss just looked at him. “You’ll be notified just as soon as I hear from them.”

*****

Shakes paced restlessly as he listened to the conversation between Knight and Pascal, the fingertips of his left hand absently tracing over the scars hidden beneath the long sleeves of his shirt. He moved to the computer and pulled up his secure email to contact Agent McKenzie to inform her of what he had just learned.

“If everything goes according to plan they’ll be long gone before Knight’s people hit their location,” Dimitri said as he glanced up from scanning the criminal organization’s financial records.

“If is the biggest word in the English language. There are more things that can go wrong than can go right in this situation.”

“You’ve sent two of your best people in, David. Everything Officer Deluca was able to give us about their location suggests that trapping Knight’s people between them is not only possible but the most likely outcome.”

“You worked in law enforcement; you know how easily a good plan can end up going wrong and costing lives. I trust my people to do their best but I know better than to just assume because they’re good at their job nothing can go wrong. That sort of foolish assumption is how people get killed.”

Dimitri checked the time. “They were on schedule the last time they checked in.”

“And that was hours ago.” He frowned as he read an incoming email from Agent McKenzie. “There’s still no word.” He rubbed his hands over his face and stood to resume his restless pacing. “They should’ve been back in cell range by now.”

“They’re traveling with an infant and that’s gonna slow them down. They have to take extra precautions to make sure that baby’s safe.”

“What do you know about traveling with a baby?”

The light in his eyes dimmed. “Because at one time I had a daughter.” He swallowed with difficulty. “That last undercover op I was involved in, the one that went wrong? My cover was blown and they got to my family.”

“You were married,” Shakes mused quietly.

“It was convenient. A working cover for two agents from different agencies. We never actually expected it to develop into anything more. I had my preferences and the arrangement worked for us.” He shrugged, his blurry vision locked on the computer screen in front of him. “But we were hyped up after a big bust that ended with a lot of gunplay and that adrenaline needed an outlet. Nine months later our daughter was born.”

“So you loved her.”

“I cared about her very much. I loved her, but I wasn’t in love with her. She wasn’t in love with me either but we got along well and we provided a stable, loving home for our daughter.” He was silent for a few minutes. “She’d be eight if she was still… here.”

“I’m sorry.”

Dimitri turned his head when he felt a hand settle on his shoulder and after a moment he reached up to cover it with his own. “We live in an ugly world where people do cruel and inhuman things to others but there are beautiful moments too.”

“You deserve to have that kind of happiness in your life, D.”

“Maybe, but I’ll never put myself through that again.” He squeezed David’s hand. “I can be happy without kids.”

“I suppose that’s good because even with all the money padding my bank accounts I’m not gonna invest in a uterus.” He smiled faintly when that got a short bark of laughter from Dimitri but before he could say anything a quiet chime indicated a new email. He moved to pull it up and scanned through it. “They got Ava and the baby out,” he said with a glance at the clock. Knight’s people weren’t gonna touch them, he thought with relief.

*****

Sharon was moving through the small library they maintained at MacArthur House, her fingers tracing over the bindings of the books when she heard someone knock on the door behind her. She turned and smiled at Isabel, motioning for the younger woman to join her. “I thought you were leaving early today?”

“I’ll be going soon,” Isabel said. “Jenny brought something up the other day and Alex and I wanted to run it by you, get your opinion.”

“That sounds serious.” Sharon led the way over to one of the reading tables set up by the windows and they sat down.

“She’s expressed an interest in possibly visiting her biological father.”

“Oh, dear.” Her hand fluttered at her throat for a moment. “Although I can’t say it’s completely unexpected to be honest.”

“Do you think it’s a good idea?”

“Well, in your position I’d be reluctant to move forward with her request, but at the same time she’s quite likely looking for closure to that chapter of her life. She’s been with you and Alex long enough now that she’s experienced what a parent-child relationship should be like and she probably has a few questions she needs answers to. Questions only he can answer.”

“I don’t like the thought of her sitting across from him in a prison.” Her mind wandered to her brother for a moment. “I know there are people who end up there who aren’t necessarily deserving of such punishment, but he was abusive to her and nothing excuses that and no one should get off easily for that kind of behavior.”

“If you do decide to allow her to visit with him, you and Alex would be with her so she wouldn’t be alone with him at any time.”

“What would you do, Sharon?”

The older woman chuckled. “As much as I’d want to wrap her up and keep her safely away from that man I think I’d have to allow the visit. Children see things in their own way and in their own time. She loves being with you and Alex and she must be questioning things so it’s best to let her ask the questions she has. Whatever she learns, no matter how painful, she has parents who will be there for her now.”

“You and Alex think so similarly it’s scary sometimes.” Isabel sighed and nodded. “How difficult is it to visit an inmate?”

“It’s not difficult at all.” She smiled and reached over to pat the younger woman’s hand. “If she does want to go through with this and you decide to allow it, just let me know and I’ll help you out with it.”

“Thanks, Sharon.” She checked her watch and pushed her chair back. “Alright, I’d better get going so Alex doesn’t have to come in and get me. We’re gonna pick up Jenny and Preston from school since they’re getting out early and take them to the Museum of Natural History. He’s learning about dinosaurs and right now anything that Preston thinks is cool, Jenny thinks is cool.”

The director chuckled. “The two of them have become such good friends.”

“They really have and his easy acceptance of her limitations has helped her so much in overcoming some of her fears and building her self esteem.” She smiled. “The surgery helped a lot too, and she’s healing so well and she’s so impatient to leave the crutches behind. It’s been a miracle to watch.”

“All of those things have helped her to get where she is now, but you and Alex put her on that path and set all of this in motion.” She stood to walk outside with Isabel. “What the two of you have done has changed that little girl’s life.”

“Oh, Sharon, maybe we had a hand in that but she’s changed our lives too. Alex has even started talking about getting married again. We postponed it after the accident because it was important to him to stand there without the crutches, and part of it was also because I wanted to find my brother after I found out about him.” She smiled. “If things work out I’d love to have him walk me down the aisle. But whether that works out or not, for now the crutches are a part of our lives and if Alex is standing there with their help, that doesn’t matter to me.”

“Isabel, honey, that’s never mattered to you.” Sharon smiled at her. “It matters to him. Maybe watching Jenny, working with her every day, watching her struggles and successes, maybe that’s helped him to see things a little differently too,” she said with a wink.

“I think we’ve all grown and learned from each other.”

“Yes, and I have a feeling you’ll continue to do that.” She glanced up when her assistant stepped out of one of the offices and called out to her. “I’d best see what she needs. I hope the four of you will have a lovely time together at the museum.”

“Thanks, Sharon. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She smiled as she stepped out into the sunlight and saw the limo pulling up at the curb. The kids were going to have fun and Alex was going to love sharing his wealth of knowledge about dinosaurs as they wandered through the museum for the next couple of hours.

*****

Max was sliding his timecard into his wallet when he passed Jeff’s office and overheard his employer talking to someone. He had every intention of continuing on his way when the other person spoke and he recognized his parole officer’s voice. He paused to lean against the wall next to the door that was open just enough for anyone walking by to tell that the office was occupied. He put his wallet away as he leaned back against the wall so he could move in time to avoid being seen if anyone came out of the kitchen area.

“Jeff, there’s very little I can tell you,” James said, his tone apologetic.

“Just tell me how much danger he’s put my daughter in.”

He winced at the harsh question, knowing the man had every right to have an answer. “There’s always a risk with the kinda people he’s involved with. No point lyin’ to you; there was a time you had your own troubles with the law.”

“Trouble with the law and involvement with the likes of Damon Knight are two very different things, James. I understand that he’s gotten involved because he was trying to help a friend, but what it all boils down to is my wife and daughter could potentially be in the crosshairs.” Jeff sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Would it be safer for me to move them? Send them out of the city until this’s over?”

“I’m not gonna tell you what you should or shouldn’t do,” the older man denied. “In your shoes that’d be my first inclination but truthfully, your daughter probably isn’t in as much danger as Max is gonna be in if Liz and Nancy suddenly disappear.”

“If they’re watching him that closely they know he and Liz are involved. They could use her against him.” His hand clenched into a fist on his desk. “They could hurt her just to show him easily they can get to anyone he cares about.”

“I don’t deny they know about her, Jeff.” James shifted to stretch his right leg out when it protested being in one position for so long. “These people are many things but they’re not fools. I know how difficult this is for you. His involvement with the organization has put my own family at risk but given a few more days we may just be able to find a way out of this mess.”

Max looked up when the door at the end of the hallway swung open and he ducked around the corner and into the employees’ lounge. He hurried over to his locker and spun the dial on the combination lock, successfully unlocking it just as Dottie walked through the doorway.

“I thought you were outta here already, Dottie,” he said with a frown. She had been excited earlier when she had told him about her daughter and son-in-law flying in to visit. She had been planning to leave early to go home and get ready and he hadn’t seen her in almost an hour.

“Oh, I thought I’d come back and give Laney a hand with that big pastry order for Thursday.”

“They didn’t come in, did they?” he asked as he turned to lean back against the lockers.

“Oh, they just had to postpone. Lori said maybe this weekend. She’s an architect and some problem came up and…”

It broke his heart when he heard the crack in her voice. “Ya know, it’s a beautiful day out. I was gonna go pick up Diablo and head over to Central Park for a walk.” He shrugged one shoulder and smiled. “We wouldn’t mind the company if you can get away.”

“You’re very sweet, Max, but I think I’ll just immerse myself in pastry for a few hours.”

“Okay.” He didn’t push, knowing it was probably safer for her to stay at the restaurant than to be seen out in public with him. “Hey, Dottie, you ever seen Phantom of the Opera?”

“Oh, yes, I saw it on Broadway quite a few years back. It’s beautifully done and just visually stunning.” She opened up her own locker and started putting her things away. “Are you thinking about going?”

“Maybe. Think I could talk you out of another Friday night?”

She turned to look at him. “I’d love nothing more, but you have someone to go to shows with.”

“Who says I have to limit myself to the company of one woman?”

She shook her head at the teasing grin on his face. “I think you have your hands full with your young woman.”

Max chuckled and shrugged one shoulder. “Liz wouldn’t mind and I really did enjoy our last outing. I read Phantom a couple weeks back and I thought it’d be interesting to see it.”

He always had a book, either in his pocket or in his locker. She knew he was in and out of the library every chance he had. One of the waiters had suggested he invest in an electronic reader but he had just thanked him for the idea and insisted he enjoyed the tactile feel of an actual book. “You just let me know which Friday works for you and we’ll take in a show.”

“I’m gonna hold you to it.” He snapped his locker closed and walked over to her. “Hey, if you change your mind about takin’ a walk or you just don’t wanna be alone later,” he shrugged, “give me a call, okay?”

“You get outta here,” Dottie said as she reached up to pat his cheek. “Enjoy a nice evening with Liz and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“We’re supposed to go shopping for a dress.” He made a face. “I’m not sure how much fun that’s gonna be.”

She just chuckled. “You get to sit back while she models pretty dresses for you. What’s not to enjoy about that?”

“Huh, hadn’t thought about it like that.” He smiled and nodded. “You make a good point.”

As he stepped out into the sunlight a few minutes later his mind was on the conversation he had overheard between Jeff and Officer Valenti. The man had valid concerns and he couldn’t blame him for wanting to get Liz and his wife as far away from him as possible. Was he being selfish by letting her as far into his life as he had? He had convinced himself that he was protecting her by explaining the situation and letting her know what was going on, but was he really?

Yes, he decided, he was. But maybe he needed to take a step back. He sighed and ran his hand over the back of his neck. The first thing he needed to do was clear his head and the best way he knew to achieve that was a long run with Diablo.

*****

Manny stood back, studying the dress Liz was wearing with a critical eye. “No,” he said finally.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror. “What’s wrong with this one?”

“It’s not you, Chica.” He uncurled his fingers and waved her off. “Go before that nightmare permanently impairs my vision.”

Liz rolled her eyes at his dramatics and shot a look at the bright multicolored shirt he was wearing. “You’re one to talk.”

He glanced down at himself before grinning at her. “We’ll talk when you can pull this look off.”

She stuck her tongue out at him and flipped him off before disappearing into the depths of the dressing rooms once more. She wasn’t supposed to meet Max for another hour but Manny was helping her narrow down the choices before he arrived. He probably wasn’t going to be very comfortable in the distinctly feminine boutique so she was trying to limit the time he would have to be there.

She hung the dress up and reached for the next one, slipping it on and quickly deciding she didn’t like the way it looked. She added it to the reject pile and stared at the two left on the rack. She liked the shimmering red one with spaghetti straps, but she was leaning more toward the deep blue one with the sculpted V-neck bodice. She reached for the blue one and tried it on, turning this way and that way as she studied the way it contrasted with her skin. Once she had decided she was certain she liked it she stepped out of the dressing room so Manny could zip her up and give her his opinion.

As much as she teased him about his flashy choices in clothing he had a keen eye for style and no matter what he wore he managed to make it look good. Things that she knew would look hideous on any other man looked absolutely perfect on him. She hadn’t taken more than a couple of steps when someone grabbed her and shoved her up against the wall. She felt the panic well up inside of her, felt the scream that lodged itself in her throat when he pressed against her from behind, and all she could think was it was happening again.

She had taken steps to ensure this wouldn’t happen to her again. She had taken self defense classes, learned how to use a gun, and done everything she could think of to make sure she was never anyone else’s victim. Her training kicked in and she slammed her head back, feeling a sense of victory when she heard his surprised yelp when she impacted directly with his nose. It was enough to startle him into releasing him and she ran, uncaring of the dress that was slipping off of her shoulders and barely held in place with one hand. “No!” she shouted as loud as she could and she only stopped running when she slammed into Manny as he burst through the half-door that separated the dressing rooms from the rest of the store.

“What happened?” he demanded as he grabbed her shoulders to stop her from running any further.

“Someone grabbed me.” Her fingernails dug into his arm when he tried to go into the hallway. “No, Manny, it’s over, let him go.”

“The hell I will.” He shook her off and turned to look at the salesgirl that had run over to join them at the disturbance. “Stay with her.” He pointed at the woman. “Call the police.”

“No, no, that’s not necessary,” Liz insisted.

“Call them,” Manny ordered, his tone demanding. He ran through the hallway, his sharp eyes scanning the dressing rooms that had quickly emptied at Liz’s scream. He pushed through the back door and scanned the alley, catching sight of a flash of red as someone turned into the next open alley.

Many of the shops and boutiques had put up fences to block the older alleys that were no longer in use but once over the fences the alleys all emptied out into the same cross street. He took a few steps back and ran toward the fence, pushing off with his right foot and grabbing onto the top of the fence. He flipped himself over and landed on his feet gracefully before bolting through the alley in hot pursuit of his target.

He knew most people assumed that he was helpless, that he couldn’t defend himself if he tried, but what they didn’t know was that he had spent three years in the military. He knew how to protect himself and it wasn’t his responsibility to hand his resume out to everyone he met. He was perfectly content to let people make their own judgments because he knew who he was and he had nothing to prove.

He shot out onto the cross street seconds after the man in the red shirt and he turned the corner to run after him. He yelled when the man flagged down a cab, knowing if he didn’t get him to turn around he was going to lose him without ever getting a good look at his face. It was plain old inconsideration that kept him from missing out on a chance to catch sight of the man’s face because just as he opened the back door of a cab he turned and someone jumped into the backseat and slammed the door.

The man turned and Manny got a full frontal shot of the man’s face before he took off again. In spite of the bloodied nose that was already beginning to swell he recognized him, he just didn’t know from where. He took up the chase again but he misjudged the speed of an oncoming car and it was on him before could get out of the way. He twisted his body, hitting the hood of the car and saving himself from a direct impact. He rolled off and hit the ground hard when the driver slammed on his brakes and he sat there for several seconds to catch his breath.

“Hey, buddy, you okay?” the driver asked as he jumped out and ran around the car.

“Fine,” he said, allowing the man to help him to his feet. He frowned at the tear in his shirt and decided he didn’t want to know what the hell was on his clothes. He looked around but the man who had attacked Liz was nowhere to be seen.

“I should call for an ambulance. I didn’t mean to hit you but you just came outta nowhere and I couldn’t stop in time and – “

Manny turned to look at the man and he shook his head. “No harm. I’m fine, see? I can give you my information if your car’s damaged.”

The driver shook his head. “No, no, as long as you’re okay. If there’s anything I can do for you…”

“Actually, you could give me a ride. I need to get back to a friend.”

“Sure, sure, here, let me get the door for you.” He ushered the man into the front seat, watching his every move and praying he wasn’t seriously injured.

Manny smiled reassuringly at the guy as he slid into the seat. “I’m okay. Probably won’t be dancing for a couple of nights but that won’t stop me from hitting the clubs.” He rested his head against the seat, his gaze following the man as he hurried back around the car. Too bad he was straight, he thought with a mental grin. His thoughts turned to the man who had attacked Liz and he started trying to remember where he had seen him before.

xilaj: Thank you! While it wasn’t as soon as I know I would’ve liked I hope the length and content will make up for the time lapse, lol. We’ll find out for sure in this update if it was Nicholas who tried to grab Liz. Defying a direct order from Knight would be foolish, but he has shown himself capable of doing that very thing.

Defending herself and escaping before she could be hurt will make a difference. As for where Liz’s bodyguard was... we’ll get that answer in this update as well.

It is a shame that just being who he is could put anyone he cares about in danger. Lol, it’s funny you said that about the e-readers. I was the same way. As handy as they are nothing can replace a good old-fashioned hardcopy book.

The last we heard about the P.I. was Knight’s order to get rid of him. Has that happened yet or is he still alive? That has yet to be revealed.

begonia9508: We’ll find out today who it was that came after Liz.

It’s true that eliminating Knight is the key.

Strawbehrry Shortcake: Considering the force she directed at her assailant’s nose it’s possible, lol.

Chances are good that Max has all of these thoughts running around in his head. Once he starts to process them we’ll see what happens. Shakes’ people... we’ll find out today. Max and company are safe from Jenny’s bio father – he’s trouble but not a threat to our group.

Well, soonest wasn’t as soon as I would’ve liked, lol, but here I am!

Alien_Friend: Rest assured, Max is going to handle the situation. Manny really did show his stuff, didn’t he?

Thanks! These scenes are fun and we’ll get to see them again today.

Oh, it is annoying! And it’s ridiculous just how routine people like this can be when they exert so much control over other people’s lives like it’s their right. One of these days we will see that look get wiped off of his face.

Lol, Shakes did indeed make a joke! It’s not something he does often so it was good to see him open up just that little bit.

Having Jenny in their lives is really helping both Alex and Isabel to grow and look at things differently too. Jenny does need her answers and it’s important that she has access to them. She may not want to visit with her father right away but knowing that her new parents are supportive should she want to take that step will be another step towards letting her past go and embracing her new life. Isabel hasn’t given up on having Max in her life and having him walk her down the aisle. She just knows that he may not be ready or willing to be part of their lives when they’re ready to take that step.

Max wants so much for the people he cares about to be happy. And Dottie’s children need a good swift kick. They don’t know how lucky they are.

Liz did make that decision to be with him of her own free will and Max definitely deserves to live outside of the shadows. Well, he may think that but Liz may be of a completely different opinion.

keepsmiling7: Max may try, but will Liz allow him to retreat like that? He wants to protect her and everyone he cares about but as much as he wants to make sure she doesn’t get hurt because of him, pulling away may not be the best move either.

Dottie is a sweetheart and we’re likely to see her again.

We’ll find out where Shakes’ people were today.

Eva: Lol, kids always know the best times to keep you busy!

There may be more than one surprise in store up on that mountain.

Liz was brave and defending herself like that was a very important step for her.

mary mary: Not sure about shortly, lol, but they’re all working toward that common goal.

Michelle in LA: Not sure that bride’s outta the bathroom just yet. A move has to be made but the big move has to wait until Saturday night when the shipment comes in.

Lol, there’s a very good chance a shot like that would’ve missed.

Well, no flashback of them getting them away from the cabin... not too much excitement there as Knight’s people hadn’t arrived yet. However, they do still have to make it to the plane so we may yet see some action.


Part 49

The sound of sirens and the flashing of lights atop police cruisers wasn’t exactly an oddity on the streets of New York. The way his heartbeat quickened in response to that particular sight and sound was something he was sure was going to be part of him for a long time to come. But seeing two of them parked haphazardly in front of the store where Liz had asked him to meet her caused his heart to nearly stop beating. Not a single bit of that familiar nervousness registered as he rushed inside, but his blood ran cold the moment he saw her surrounded by cops while Manny hovered over her protectively.

“Liz?”

Her head snapped up when she heard Max call her and she hurried to assure the cops that he wasn’t her attacker.

“Are you okay?” he demanded when they moved aside to let him through. He studied her body language, making sure it was alright before he cradled her face in his hands. Ever so gently he brushed the side of his thumb over the red mark high on her right cheek. “Liz?”

She shook her head silently and burrowed into his embrace. The adrenaline flooding her system had her on edge; she felt like she was coming apart at the seams and at any moment she was going to just burst.

“Would someone tell me what the hell is going on?” he bit out when he wrapped his arms around her and felt the tremors racing through her body.

“Ms. Parker was attacked by an as yet unknown assailant,” one of the officers answered.

“Where is he?”

“He got away, Max,” Manny spoke up. “I chased after him but I nearly got hit and it gave him enough time to get away.”

“Guess not all fairies fly.”

Max stared at the cop working on a laptop when he heard the muttered words. “You got a problem?”

“Drop it, Max,” Manny said quietly. “Small-minded comments like that only have as much power as you give them.”

“Maybe so, but sometimes keeping quiet gives them just as much power.”

“Fisher, finish that sketch,” the officer Max had first spoken to barked.

“She was able to give a description?”

Manny shook his head. “I got a pretty good look at the guy. Liz never saw his face. He came at her from behind but I think she busted his nose.”

“Does this look like the man you saw?” Fisher asked as he turned the laptop around for Manny to see.

He nodded in confirmation. “That’s him.”

“Ms. Parker, could you take a look at the sketch and tell me if you recognize the man?”

Liz turned to look at the screen and her stomach lurched sickeningly, but before she could move she felt the acidic burn in her throat and she knew it was too late.

“Oh, Chica,” Manny murmured sympathetically as he stepped around the mess she had made to rub her back.

“Do you recognize him, Ms. Parker?”

She shook her head without looking at the officer. The level of humiliation she was feeling notched up higher and she wanted nothing more than to just disappear.

Max stared at the screen as Fisher punched in a command and it started to run a search. They would have a match before long if they weren’t on Damon’s payroll and just putting on a show. If they were honest cops it wouldn’t be long before they went after Nicholas and all hell would break loose.

“I’d like to take her home now.”

“That’ll be fine. We have her information if we need to get in touch.” He turned to Manny. “Mr. Aragon, I sure do appreciate all the help you were able to give us. With any luck this jackhole has a rap sheet and we’ll be able to pick him up and give your friend a little peace of mind.”

Manny shook his hand. “Thanks for everything.” He looked at the screen again. “I wish I could remember where I’ve seen him before,” he mused quietly. “I know I’ve seen him.”

“If he’s in the system, we’ll find him,” the officer assured him.

Max was helping Liz into the passenger’s seat of her car when he came outside and he hurried over to see if he could do anything. “Are you taking her to your place?”

“No, she wouldn’t want to run into her parents in this shape.” He finished belting her in and left his hand on her shoulder as he stood to look at the other man. “You drive, Manny?”

“Like the wind.”

“Can you take her home?”

“Max…” Liz pulled on his hand. “Max, don’t,” she whispered.

He crouched down next to her. “Liz, I want to get you home and your fancy little sports car only seats two.” He looked down at their hands for a second. “I can’t drive but Manny can get you home and stay with you until I get there.”

“You’re going after him.”

“He came after you because of me.” He gnawed on his bottom lip as he watched her. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to protect you, Liz, and I’m not gonna let him get away with this.”

“Just tell the cops.”

“You know why I can’t. It’s the same reason you lied and said you’d never seen him before. Go home and wait for me.” He stood before she could object. “Manny?” He waited until the other man joined them. “Would you stay with her until I get there?”

“No problem.”

*****

Courtney poked the man controlling the rudder. “Cut the engine.”

DJ silenced the motor at her insistence and he shrugged when everyone turned to look at him. “No clue,” he said in response.

“You didn’t leave anyone at the boat launch.”

“Yeah, we did,” Michael spoke up. “They sent a couple extra guys up with Martinez and Bernard. We were careful but your location was uncovered so Sean was concerned that they might’ve figured out the river feeds into the lake and set up an ambush.”

“I don’t like it.” She shook her head. “It’s too quiet.”

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” DJ asked.

She motioned to the area around them. “Why aren’t there people out? Picnicking, boating, or barbecuing… the whole area’s deserted.”

Kyle squinted against the early afternoon sun. “Court’s right,” he said as he pulled the binoculars out of his bag and scanned the area around the lake. “Day like today there oughta be people out.”

“We’re not close enough yet to see where we left the truck and trailer. Plus, this area’s more rural and kids are back in school,” DJ said as he glanced between them. “On the weekend it’s probably pretty busy, but on a weekday, probably not so much.”

“Maybe.” She dropped the scope and looked at Kyle. “I think we’re walkin’ right into an ambush.”

“We can’t go back the way we came. Even if Knight’s men didn’t catch sight of us and start shooting we’d still be facing the rapids. It’s too risky with Cadence. What’re you thinkin’?”

“We can drop them off on shore and go in but we need to draw them out so we can pick ‘em off. We go in, we lose our advantage. We also leave the others unprotected.”

He shook his head and glanced at his brother-in-law. “Michael’s armed and he knows how to use a gun.”

“We still need to draw them out.”

DJ swallowed hard when the two of them turned to look at him. “Um…” he cleared his throat. “I’m guessing that’d be me?”

Courtney brushed her hair back and pulled her sunglasses off. “Think you can handle that?” she asked as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She looked up and snapped her fingers when he just stared at her. “Hey, pretty boy! You wanna get with the program here?”

“What do you need me to do?”

“Take us to shore.”

“Grab an oar and start paddling,” he growled.

When they reached the shoreline Kyle jumped out of the boat and reached for Ava to help her out. Michael had brought the baby carrier she was wearing, allowing her to keep Cadence close and safe from falling or being bounced around too much during the ride.

“Are you sure about this?” she asked, her hand protectively resting on the baby’s back.

“We’re gonna get outta this, Ava,” he said quietly. “You’re safe with Michael. He’s family and I trust him with my life.”

“How’re they gonna draw them out?” DJ asked as he and Michael stepped on shore.

“I have a feelin’ you’re about to earn your stripes,” Michael answered. “If I’m here with the girl and the kid, and they’re waitin’ to pick off the bad guys… that just leaves you.”

Of course it did. He turned to look at the woman who seemed to be calling the shots. “Okay, El Jefe, what’s the plan?”

Courtney didn’t bother commenting on his choice of names for her. “Like Guerin said, he’ll stay with the witness and the baby while Valenti and I get into position. You pull that tarp out from under that seat and spread it out so that it looks like we’re hiding under it. Then when we give you the signal you get back out there and go in slow. Duck down like you’re tryin’ to see what’s around you but you’re trying to avoid getting your head blown off.”

“Well, that won’t be very hard to do,” he muttered. He slapped her hand away when she reached over and gave the Kevlar vest he was wearing a sharp tug. “Do you mind?”

“Just keep your head down out there.”

“Does that really matter?” He slapped the top of his head. “They take a shot at my head and there’s not gonna be much left up here.”

“Just do what I tell you to do and you might walk away from this cluster fuck.” She pulled one of the extra radios out of her pack and made sure it was on the right channel before tossing it to him. “We’ll let you know when to get back out there.”

He pulled his ball cap out of his back pocket and put it on, tugging the bill low over his eyes. “If I get shot you’re gonna owe me more than dinner,” he said as he turned to walk back to the boat.

“I don’t recall agreeing to dinner.”

He snorted. “I don’t recall to agreeing to get shot at either.” He shrugged and flashed his perfect grin at her. “Don’t worry; I’ll take you somewhere classy.”

She rolled her eyes and continued on her way. “Valenti, we need to get into position.”

“Kyle.”

He looked down at Ava when she called him.

“Please be careful.”

He shifted the shoulder strap of his rifle and cradled her face in his hands. “Promise,” he said as he lowered his head and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. He brushed one hand gently over the baby’s head before dropping a kiss on her blonde hair. “Guerin, keep my girls safe.”

Michael gave him a quick salute. He had been surprised when they had arrived at the cabin and he had discovered things between his brother-in-law and the witness weren’t very professional. The way Kyle had so carefully and protectively handled the baby and assured the woman that he and the others were there to help had been unexpected. She was comfortable around Kyle, she trusted him, but she was outwardly suspicious of the rest of them. Even though Courtney had been there for a while now the woman wasn’t completely comfortable with her either.

His hand flexed around the gun he was carrying as he paced off a small perimeter, his gaze constantly scanning the wooded area around them. He glanced at the woman when the baby started to stir, listening to her attempting to soothe the little girl before she could start wailing. “My kid used to raise the roof when he’d first wake up.”

Ava looked at him when he spoke. “It was your son Max was holding in the picture,” she said quietly.

“Um-hmm. Hunter took to him pretty easily even though it was obvious he’d never been around kids before.” He nodded at the baby. “I’m sure Max will take to her easily.”

“You know Max well?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “As well as he’s allowed me to get to know him.”

“How deeply is he involved with Damon?”

“Too deep,” Michael answered after a moment. “But he’s workin’ a deal and he’s with cops who can be trusted.”

“The only way for us to ever get out is for Damon to die.”

“You’ll get no arguments from me.” His head jerked to the left and he motioned for her to get down as he dropped to his haunches. “Keep her as quiet as you can.”

*****

Max pushed past Pascal and barreled into the room, his gaze so focused on Nicholas that he never saw Damon raise his right hand to stop the man from putting a bullet in him for entering his domain without waiting for permission. Nothing registered beyond the bastard prodding his nose in front of the mirror.

“You sonofabitch!” he snarled.

Nicholas met his furious gaze in the mirror and shrugged carelessly. “Bitch had it comin’ one way or the other. She’s just lucky she didn’t break my nose.”

He turned to look at the man watching them. “I’ve done everything you’ve asked, Damon! Everything! You had no reason to turn him loose on her!”

“I recall giving the order that she was not to be touched, Nicholas,” Damon said as he motioned for Pascal to hold Max back. “There was no room for misinterpretation.”

“It was her fault! All she had to do was keep her fuckin’ mouth shut.”

The head of the organization sat there for a moment just watching Nicholas as the fool preened in the mirror. For a long time he had tolerated him simply because he provided him with amusement but now he was jeopardizing his operation. His gaze shifted over to Max as he strained to free himself from Pascal’s hold. He gave the man a slight nod and he leaned back when he released him.

Nicholas barely spared Max a glance. Since he had been released he had done little more than make threats that he hadn’t carried out. He had gone soft in prison and he didn’t view him as a threat anymore. Until he was shoved face-first into the mirror and a steel-toe boot rammed into his nuts with enough force to drive the air from his lungs.

“I warned you to stay away from her.” Max didn’t give him any time to fully register the shock or the pain before he grabbed his shoulder and whirled him around, finishing the job Liz had started when his fist slammed into Nicholas’ nose.

Damon watched them for several minutes before he decided to intervene. The street rat was already distracted enough, he didn’t want him to completely lose focus so close to that shipment coming in. And if his parole officer was alerted that he had shown up for work battered and bruised it was going to raise questions. He gritted his teeth when Max slammed Nicholas up against the wall, knocking several valuable pieces of art to the floor. Nicholas tried to twist out of his grasp but before he could move he was pinned in place and Max pressed the razor sharp blade of a knife to his throat.

“Pascal.”

He moved to pull the street rat away from Nicholas and he shoved him toward Santini when the large man stepped out from behind the desk. He shook his head at the pathetic excuse of a man that fell to his knees on the floor while he clutched his balls. He drew his weapon and screwed the silencer onto the barrel, patiently waiting for Nicholas to notice him.

“Let’s not get blood all over my priceless painting,” Damon said as he took a drink from the ever-present glass on his desk.

Nicholas slowly lifted his head and his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when he realized he was looking down the barrel of Pascal’s gun. “No, Boss, I can explain,” he wheezed.

“You could, but as I have no interest in hearing yet another of your excuses I’ll save us both the time and trouble.” He snapped his fingers and Pascal hauled the other man to his feet. “Goodbye, Nicholas.”

Max watched as Nicholas fought in vain against Pascal’s iron grip and even knowing what was coming he couldn’t find it in him to try and stop it. The look of fear in her eyes when he had walked into that shop was something he vowed to never see again. He had brought that into her life and he would do everything in his power to make sure she never came into contact with that element again. As long as Nicholas was around he would be in a position to hurt Liz but with him gone it would be one less thing to worry about.

“What time do you want me here tomorrow night?”

Damon quirked an eyebrow at Max’s toneless question. “Not even the slightest bit of guilt over Nicholas’ demise?”

“Why?” He retracted the blade and shoved the knife in his back pocket. “If you hadn’t pulled me off of him he’d be dead now anyway.” He shrugged carelessly. “Only difference is your paintings would be ruined.”

“Funny thing, the way a woman can change the way a man thinks and acts.”

He was beyond being tired of the mind games the man loved to play. “I need to get home, Damon.”

“Pascal will pick you up tomorrow night. Be at Falcone’s at nine.”

Max nodded. “Nine o’clock. Got it.” He started towards the door and barely made it half a dozen steps before Damon called him.

“And Max?”

He turned.

“Don’t ever barge into my home like this again.”

“If you’d kept your pet on a tighter leash I wouldn’t have come looking for him.”

“She’s brought the fighter out of you again.” He chuckled humorlessly and turned his attention to the ledger lying open on the desk. “It’ll do you well to remember there’s a very fine line between bravery and stupidity. Santini, see the street rat out.” He looked up after they had gone and he stared at the pieces of art strewn across the floor. This was why women should only be called upon to satisfy a man’s needs. They complicated everything.

Max had worked for him for years and he’d never had his focus shaken by a woman. True, on occasion someone had done something towards Ava that he had felt was unacceptable but he had always managed to keep his head screwed on straight. Now he wasn’t so sure where the street rat stood. He sighed and shook his head as he turned back to his ledgers and the pesky issue of the intrusions into his financial accounts.

Tomorrow night would tell him everything he needed to know about where Max stood.

*****

“This is a very, very, very bad idea,” DJ muttered as he ducked down and tried to keep his eyes on the shoreline while attempting to steer the raft in something resembling a straight line. “You’re gonna go out here and get your ass shot off and not even get a date out of it.”

Courtney rolled her eyes when Kyle’s quiet snicker came over the radio. This was all she needed, she thought as she continued scanning the shoreline. Some rich pretty boy chasing after her because he was bored. Her thoughts zeroed in on her target when something flashed in the sunlight for just a moment before disappearing again.

“Valenti, you see that?”

“Saw it,” he breathed, “and locked on the position.”

“Okay, pretty boy, get out there and show ‘em what you’ve got.”

“I’m heading right down the barrel of a loaded gun and you want more than that?” DJ asked incredulously. “What would you like me to do? Stand up and moon them?”

“That might be worth a date,” she said, unable to hide the smile at his snarky question.

“Yeah, well, you wanna get a look at this pretty boy’s ass that’s not the way it’s gonna happen.” He inhaled deeply and increased his speed, leaning forward and pressing down on one of the oars that he had placed beneath the tarp. It rose up, lifting a fishing rod and Kyle’s ball cap and he nearly jumped out of his skin when something hit the oar and the wood splintered into hundreds of pieces.

He cut a turn too tightly and nearly capsized but quickly corrected, making sure that the raft turned at the right angle to avoid flipping over. Every prayer he had ever learned in Catholic school came flooding back into his mind and without even realizing it he started reciting anything that came into his head as he did his best to turn this way and that in an effort to avoid being shot.

“C’mon, you sonofabitch,” Kyle muttered as he kept his scope trained on the spot he had lined up. “Just show your…” His finger brushed against the trigger ever so gently when Knight’s men suddenly came out of hiding in an effort to stop the boat now racing wildly through the water. “Court, I count four, what’ve you got?”

She scanned the shoreline, quickly identifying the shooters and their locations as they left the safety of their hiding places to try and take out their target. “I can confirm four targets. I’ll take out the two high on the right.”

“Copy that.” He lined the target up and squeezed the trigger.

*****

Traffic was a nightmare and the constant start/stop was grating on nerves already stretched too thin. Max impatiently drummed his fingertips on the window frame and wished he had a cell phone so he could call and check on Liz. He didn’t want to lose any time stopping to find a payphone so he could call but it was taking forever to get to her. His head jerked to the side when the door next to him opened and a man he didn’t recognize slid onto the seat beside him.

“Max, I thought that was you.”

He tensed and his right hand shifted imperceptibly, his fingers ready to pull the switchblade from his pocket if he needed it. “Couldn’t find your own cab?” he asked, his eyes flicking to the driver to see if he was paying any attention to them. But other than adjusting his meter he didn’t seem to be interested.

“I wasn’t actually looking for one. I was sitting in that little deli across the street there and my friend said he thought he recognized you. He wanted me to see if you had a few minutes to talk.”

“I’m kinda in the middle of something right now.”

“Yeah, rush hour traffic. C’mon, you’re not going anywhere for a while and he said to tell you they’ve got good shakes.”

Max nodded and leaned forward to find out what he owed and after paying and leaving a decent tip he got out of the cab and followed the man. As they stepped up on the sidewalk the guy turned to walk backwards. “What’re you – “

“There’s an exit into the back alley by the bathrooms. He’s waiting for you.” He waved and took off, disappearing into the crowds that packed the sidewalks.

He glanced around, weighing his options and finally deciding that if it was Damon he wouldn’t bother with such subterfuge. He shook his head as he stepped inside and glanced around, taking in the counter and the variety of food selections. He mentally kicked himself when the man’s words suddenly registered and he hurried back to the doorway that led to the restrooms.

Shakes was leaning back against the car while his driver kept watch and he straightened when Max burst through the door. He was relieved to see that he was safe. He’d had one of his people tailing him and made arrangements to have Max brought to him as soon as possible. Even though he had known the kid had walked out of Damon’s lair without being harmed he felt better seeing for himself. Hearing what Pascal had done to Nicholas had put him on edge and even though he didn’t feel bad that he was out of the picture he could’ve lived the rest of his life without hearing every moment leading up to his execution.

“I’m sorry Nicholas got to Liz,” he said without preamble.

“You had someone watching her, didn’t you?” Max nodded at Shakes’ affirmative response. “Then you did everything you said you’d do. You couldn’t have eyes on every entrance and exit into the store, Shakes. He scared the hell out of her but she fought back and that’ll help her get through this.”

“If any of my people had been able to get their hands on him he wouldn’t have made it to Knight.”

“Maybe its better he did.” He shrugged. “He won’t be hurtin’ anyone else now.”

“I’d like to put someone with her until things go down on Saturday night. We haven’t really been able to do that with Knight watching your every move because it would’ve made him suspicious, but after Nicholas going after her today I don’t think it’s too farfetched to believe you’d ask to have someone placed with her.”

“I’ll need to talk to her, see if she’d be comfortable with that. It can’t be a man, Shakes, not after what happened today.”

“No, I have someone in mind that would be perfect for the job. I’ve already made arrangements to meet with her and I’ll get it set up so if you give me the green light she’ll be on your doorstep within an hour.”

“I appreciate it and as soon as I talk to her I’ll let you know. And seriously, you’ve gone above and beyond for me, Shakes. I couldn’t ask for a better or more supportive friend.”

He shifted and crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you ready for tomorrow night?”

“As ready as I can be.” He scratched the back of his head. “You’re sure that shipment’s not coming in tomorrow?”

“Positive. The meet tomorrow night’s just a test. Get through that and then all we have to worry about is Saturday night.” He stepped back and nodded when Otto turned to check on him. “I know you’re eager to get back to Liz.” He motioned to the alley behind him. “There’s a taxi waiting on the street. He’ll turn his light on as soon as he sees you and he’ll get you to Liz as quickly as possible.”

*****

Manny sat at the dining room table watching Liz as she moved around the apartment, unable to be still. Her movements had slowed considerably since they had arrived at her home but she was still too wired to remain in one place longer than a few moments. Diablo shadowed her every move, nudging her hand or whining every once in a while in a bid for her attention that as yet had gone ignored.

“Liz, you should try to rest,” he urged once again. “I know it’s been a difficult day…” he trailed off when a noise in the hall caught her attention and she froze in place to stare at the door. “He won’t get to you here, honey.”

She strained to hear footsteps nearing the door and when they didn’t come she began to move again. “He should be home by now,” she muttered to herself. “It’s taking too long.” She frowned and looked down at the phone in her hand. “I should call Jim or maybe James.” She shook her head and made a pass through the kitchen. “No, I’ll call Michael; he’ll know what to do.”

“Chica, tell me where he went.”

“No, no, you don’t understand. He could be in trouble.”

Manny gnawed on his bottom lip as he considered his words. “He could be trouble, Liz. Why isn’t he here with you? It’s been several hours and it doesn’t take that long to get across town.” He watched her as she picked up a dark tee shirt that was lying on the back of one of the dining room chairs and twisted it in her hands. “He knows the guy that attacked you, doesn’t he?”

“Don’t ask questions, Manny. Max isn’t the bad guy here.”

“Why didn’t he just tell the cops who that guy was? Why didn’t you? You didn’t get a look at him when he attacked you but your reaction when you saw that sketch was – “

“It was a normal reaction given the trauma of the situation,” she snapped.

He held his hands up and shook his head. “Alright, if that’s…” he trailed off when Diablo suddenly planted his feet in front of the door, his muscled body taut as his ears flicked to catch a sound. A moment later his stubby tail started to wag, causing his hindquarters to shake, and he turned his head to look at Liz as he barked joyfully.

“That’ll be Max.”

“How do you know?” He had never been around Diablo before so he had no idea how the dog behaved around anyone.

“Because he doesn’t act like this with anyone else,” she answered and crossed to the front door. Her hand paused on the frame and she swallowed hard as she reached for the lock and turned the knob at the same time. For one breathless moment she stared at Max, easily identifying the signs that indicated he had been involved in some sort of altercation.

“I’m sorry it took so long,” he murmured against her temple when she threw herself into his arms. He tensed for a moment when he caught movement behind her but relaxed when he saw that it was only Manny.

“I’ll leave the two of you alone,” Manny excused himself. “I’ll be around if you need anything or the cops haul that guy in and need me to identify him.”

Max nodded at him and shuffled to the side to let him out of the apartment. The door closed behind him and the lock clicked into place with a metallic snap.

“He thinks we recognized the guy that…” Liz swallowed hard and rested her cheek against his chest.

“He’ll never hurt you again, Liz,” he swore as he leaned back to gently brush the side of his thumb over the red mark that was slowly darkening. It was going to bruise and it would be a reminder of what Nicholas had done to her and what he could’ve done given the opportunity.

“If the cops pick him up he’ll tell them about you.”

“I doubt the cops will ever even find him and if they do they’re gonna have a helluva time identifying his sorry ass.”

“Max, you didn’t kill him.” She lifted her gaze to his. “Did you?”

He gave her a half-smile and shook his head. “No, I didn’t, although I think if Damon hadn’t had one of his guys pull me off of him I might have. I’ve been pissed off before but nothing to that extent. I had a knife to his throat and in that moment I could’ve taken his life.”

“I’m glad it wasn’t you.” She settled more fully into his arms and felt like she was able to breathe for the first time since it had happened. “I’m glad he’s dead but I’m glad you didn’t do it. I wouldn’t want you to have to live with that on your conscience.” And it would’ve bothered him even though she knew he’d have done his best to forget about it.

He was certain he wouldn’t have had any trouble sleeping if he’d taken Nicholas out. If he’d taken that little bastard’s life over something trivial, yeah, that he would’ve had a problem with. But taking him out over an attack on Liz? He wouldn’t have lost any sleep over that. Everyone had a dark side; he believed that, and he believed under the right circumstances even the mildest of people could be driven to commit terrible acts against another human being. Yeah, it was a choice, and if he’d had to make it he could’ve lived with it.

“I did finish the nose job you started for him.” He smiled against her hair when she laughed thickly. “You fought back, Liz. You hear me? You fought back, and because you did that bastard ran like the coward he was.”

“I didn’t even think, I just reacted. I was scared, terrified, but I knew I had to fight back, scream, just… get away. But now I feel like I’m shaking like crazy on the inside, Max. Almost like I’ve downed half a dozen energy drinks.”

“It’s the adrenaline. Let’s go for a run, work it out of your system.”

“That’ll help?”

He nodded. “Yeah, and once you’ve got it out you’re gonna crash hard.”

Her fingers clenched in his shirt. “You won’t leave, right?”

“No, I’m here for as long as you want me.” He looked down at her. “But Liz, if me bein’ here makes you uncomfortable you have to be honest with me.”

“The only thing that bothers me is the thought of you not being here.”

He nudged her gently when she rubbed her forehead against his chest and sighed. “C’mon, let’s get changed and go for a run. We’ll take Diablo with us, give him a workout too.”

“We won’t be able to stop for coffee or anything afterwards.”

“The last thing you want after a day like this is anything caffeinated. We’ll go for a run, come back here and take our showers, eat if you feel like it, and then crash for the night.” He framed her face in his hands and met her gaze directly. “I’m gonna call in tomorrow. I think there’re some things we need to talk about but not tonight.”

She nodded in agreement and went to change for their run. She couldn’t explain the conflicted feelings inside of her; the ridiculous need to cry warring with the insane urge to laugh, the desire to be alone and the need to be as close to Max as possible, the express urge to control everything and the pressing need to just let go and allow him to handle things, or the overwhelming feeling of panic and fear that somehow couldn’t override the sense of safety she had when she was with him. She wouldn’t think about it now. She wasn’t even going to let it take up another minute of her day, not today.

She went to jerk a tank top off of a hanger and stared at the tee shirt she hadn’t even realized she was still holding. One of Max’s tee shirts. The one he had left draped over the back of the couch the other night. The one that had just about driven her crazy because the hamper was barely a dozen feet away and rather than put it in its place he had hung it over the closest available object. Even when he hadn’t been there she had sought out some small thing that would make her feel closer to him.

Liz shook it out and looked at it, her eyes moving over the wrinkled material, the stain where he’d spilled something from dinner that night, and the little hole at one corner of the pocket and her vision suddenly blurred. She pressed her hands together and buried her nose against the wadded-up cotton as the conflict in her was suddenly clarified and it all fell into place.

She was in love with Max Evans.