“Well, it doesn’t make me feel good. His obsession with me started at the trial, I think. He tried all sorts of ways to connect our lives. For a while I thought it was possible we were connected. But now I know more about his past than he probably ever did and I know it wasn’t possible.

  “What keeps me up at night is knowing that we were so similar and that I didn’t take the shot when I should have.”

  “What do you feel you need to do to fix this?”

  “I can’t fix this. It’s too late. He’s gone.”

  “True, but what can you do.”

  “I-I guess I could go to Mercy Hospital. Maybe see if anyone there remembers my mother.”

  “Good, you can pursue the thing that has burdened you all your life, why did your mother really give you up. What else?”

  “I think, well, I think I need a long vacation.”

  “That’s good too. Just pack up and get away from it all. Just go by yourself, if that’s what you want to do.”

  That was what worried her. Going alone. She’d been alone before.

  The bell on Dr. Ellen’s desk rang. “That’s all our time for today, but I can pencil you in for later if you need to talk more.”

  Ericka shook her head. She’d vented. She’d gotten recommendations. There wasn’t much more Dr. Ellen could do.

  “Thanks, Doc. I think I’ve got a path forward now.”

  “You’re welcome. If you need anything, even while you’re on your trip, just reach out. I’ll be here.”

  Ericka rose and walked to the door. The idea of going on a road trip was both exciting and scary at the same time. She would only be a phone call away from help, but still.

  She waved a good-bye as she left the office and headed out of the building. All the others would be at O’Malley’s. She would tell Greg her plans then. Hopefully, he would be supportive.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  O’Malley’s was dark and loud. Country music poured from a jukebox situated in the corner. The dance floor was filled with people doing a line dance. Ericka entered and found Tristan and Maggie at the front of the line.

  Greg appeared at her elbow. “I’ll show you our table.”

  He shook his hips as he walked to a booth in the back. He yelled out a hooting sound to match one of the songs. Ericka lifted both her brows and looked at Quinn.

  He shrugged. “Don’t ask me. He hasn’t drunk a drop of liquor, but he has been acting weird like this all night.”

  “Oh, it’s not weird. We’re free! We’re not sequestered. We’re not living someone else’s lives. We’re not on some random non-vacation that I planned. We’re getting to go home. We can watch old reruns of I Love Lucy, or go to bed early or anything we want to do. Don’t you feel exhilarated knowing that?”

  “Oh, yeah, exhilarated.” Quinn rolled his finger in a circle next to his ear to indicate craziness.

  Greg laughed. “Now who wants to dance?”

  Ericka would have said no, but he was already dragging her onto the dance floor. She joined in the last song. This might be the last time they danced in any capacity for a while. He would be hurt that she was leaving without him, but she planned to come back.

  When the dance ended, Tristan and Maggie joined them at the booth.

  “Did you tell Ericka that we’re free?”

  “I did. Although she doesn’t seem as happy as I’d hoped.”

  “Well, she will once she realizes what it all means. Of course, we still have to check in at the office to see if a case has come up, but until then we are free!”

  Tristan yelled, “Whoo-hoo! Let’s dance, baby.”

  He didn’t give Maggie time to actually sit before leading her back to the floor.

  “Ericka, can I get you anything?”

  “Yes, please. A cola would be wonderful.”

  “One cola coming up.” Quinn bounded out of the booth toward the bar.

  “Okay, what gives? I know something is up so go ahead and spill it so we can get on with our night of revelry.”

  She swallowed. It wasn’t easy to tell him that she was going away. She should have picked a less jovial time.

  “Let’s wait. I’ll tell you later.”

  “No, just go ahead. Rip off that band aid.”

  She sighed. “All right, I’m leaving.”

  “What?”

  “Not permanently. I’m going to travel to Miami and check out the hospital where my mother left me.”

  “Well, I’ll go with you. I have some vacation time.”

  “No, Greg. I want to do this on my own. I need to do this on my own. After all that’s happened, I just need time to think away from here.”

  “I see.” He paused. “Is Tito going?”

  She frowned. “Why would Tito be going if I want to go alone?”

  “Well, I just thought…”

  “No, I’m going all alone. Not with you, not with Tito, just me.” Ericka rose and started walking toward the door.

  “Hey, I finally got your cola.” Quinn was there.

  “You keep it. I’m going home.”

  Quinn looked hurt, but she couldn’t help it. She’d apologize later.

  She left the building and called a cab. She was going home finally. Tomorrow she would pack up and her new adventure would begin.

  ****

  Tito took the first watch. It was his way of sitting with Burle and not Blake. Blake needed this night off, but promised to do the others so that Tito could be seen wandering around during the day.

  Clearly, Blake blamed him for the entire assignment. He couldn’t help it if he was good at his job.

  “I guess we just sit here and watch the dude sleep, huh?”

  “I added cameras to the hallways so that we could see if anyone approaches.”

  “I see.” Burle paused. “Hey, did you read this guy’s file? It reads like a James Bond novel. Apparently, he rescued hostages from high profile targets. He turned people into assets; he took out assets when needed. He’s a regular assassin. And now he is an old geezer. Why would anyone want him?”

  “Knowledge. He might know where the dirt is buried, or he might literally know where other operatives are hiding out.”

  “Is it possible that we’re watching him to protect him?”

  “If we are, no one is coming forward and admitting it.”

  “How long do you think the Director will have us keep this up? I mean, watching this guy 24/7 is going to get old. We’ll get lazy. We’ll slip up. He doesn’t do anything but sit around the house. You remember. We watched him for like two days before we even realized it was the wrong person.”

  Burle had a good point. What was dad’s plan? They could approach him as a friendly and let him know he needed to leave. Another sugar run might be in order. But since the bad guys were watching as well, he couldn’t be really obvious.

  His phone rang and he answered and placed it to his ear. “Santos.”

  “Santos, this is Kane. Ericka just told me that she’s leaving for Florida. You have anything to do with that?”

  “No. I had no idea.”

  “So, you really aren’t going?”

  “Not that I’m aware of. I’ve been tasked with watching Dove. Remember?”

  “I remember. I also remember you always seem to work your way into being with Ericka. Like coming to my house for Christmas or to my school reunion.”

  “About that…”

  “Look, don’t worry about it. I want to say if she does ask you, go. Ericka doesn’t need to be alone right now.”

  “Then why don’t you go?”

  Tito knew that Greg had feelings for Ericka. It was impossible not to have feelings for her in his opinion.

  “She asked me not to.”

  “I see.”

  “Yeah. I guess I’ve finally been given the boot.”

  “I wouldn’t count on that too early.” He paused. “If I hear from her, I’ll let you know.”

  “Thank you. Oh, and good luck with your case. If Dove is as important as we were led to believe, you have a major task ahead of you.”

  “I appreciate it.”

  The phone line went dead in his hands. He stared at the device. Finally, Ericka was going to go and find out about her family. She’d deserved the opportunity months ago. She’d never complained she’d just gone with the flow. He was happy for her.

  He dialed her number to say so but stopped. Greg would get in trouble if she knew that he’d called. Tito would let it go. Besides he had a job to do.

  Minutes turned into hours. A figure walked toward the door and knocked. Dove went to the peephole and looked through. Tito and Burle rose closer to the screen as if they would protect Dove with their stance.

  “We should go.” Burle was already on his feet.

  “Wait just a minute.”

  The hood on the figure fell backward. Long hair fell down the individual’s back and Dove pulled her inside the room.

  Tito was glad the camera wasn’t pointed at the bedroom. He didn’t know for sure what was happening but if he had to take a guess, he’d say that Dove’s friend had come over for a conjugal visit.

  “I’m going to the bathroom. I don’t want to watch this.”

  “You better hurry. And there isn’t anything on the screen.”

  “It’s just the thought of it.”

  The thought of it…

  What if the old man was taking this pretty young girl into his room and they were swapping intelligence of a different kind. It was the perfect ruse. No one would want to see that kind of activity.

  Tito drummed his fingers on the tabletop. He needed to get into that room and plant another camera. This time in the bedroom.

  He wondered what Blake would say when it was his turn to watch the cameras?

  That was a transcript Tito couldn’t wait to read.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Ericka rose early and packed her bag. She’d mapped out her route and everything was set. The rental car would be delivered that morning. All she had to do was make it out of New York alive and it’d be smooth sailing.

  She’d thought about texting Tito, but he was on a mission. She’d heard all the details from Maggie when she called after her time at O’Malley’s. Now that Maggie had Tristan, they were best buds. Maggie needed to tell her everything about every clandestine meeting more than once.

  Quinn had called to say he would miss her and to have fun.

  Greg had not called. His car wasn’t in the driveway that morning either.

  She assumed that he’d gone into the office or just never came home to sleep.

  Why did men have to be so difficult? Why couldn’t he understand she needed to do this?

  It would be weird not being around him for a few weeks. She’d seen him every day for the longest time, but they both would survive and maybe be stronger for it.

  Suitcase packed, she set it at the front door and made breakfast. After breakfast, she washed her dishes. She’d set up her mail to be held. She’d checked all the water lines and warned the electric and water company that she wouldn’t be there for a while. She would have asked Greg to keep an eye on things, but she didn’t want to start something else.

  She took one last look around the room. She could have flown to Miami cheaper and quicker, but she needed the time that driving would take.

  Door locked, Ericka bounded down the stairs of the porch with her suitcase. She’d packed snacks and drinks for the drive. Once her suitcase was in the trunk everything would be ready to roll.

  She looked at her house one last time before climbing behind the wheel and setting off.

  ****

  “The situation we have is that Dove had a private meeting with a young woman. When she came out her coat looked much thicker than when she went in. We believe that he is passing her documents. Or maybe he is writing about his life, and she is taking a manuscript. Either way, there is a portion of his apartment that we can’t see. We need someone to go inside and plant another bug.”

  Tito stepped forward. “I’ve been into the room before. I think I would be the obvious choice.”

  “I agree, but we think you rambling into the bedroom accidentally would be highly unlikely. So, you’re going to take your slightly older, but less intelligent brother with you.” Director Manis held his arm out and pointed at Greg.

  Greg had initially balked at the idea of acting less than intelligent, but it was a good plan.

  “You want me to take Greg in with me as my brother. We don’t even favor.”

  “Use the excuse you always gave with us. Your mother was a different color. Tell him you’re babysitting and he had to come with you. He’ll wonder off and plant the device.”

  “You know if they get caught that Dove is smart enough, strong enough, and tough enough to take them both out.” Blake leaned back against the wall. No doubt he was happy he didn’t have to play the dumb one. He probably thought Greg was the best one for the job.

  “We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it. Right now, we stick to this plan. But get in and get out. We don’t want the other watchers to know what is happening either.”

  Director Manis looked around the room. “Where is Stone?”

  “On vacation.”

  “Did I approve that?”

  “I think Dr. Ellen ordered it.” Greg had seen the file on Monica’s desk this morning and Dr. Ellen had sent a sheet of paper making the specific request.

  “I see. Well, we should be able to do this without her. Now get it done. We need to know what is happening in that apartment ASAP.”

  The small group left Manis’ office. Tito and Greg stayed at the back of the pack.

  “You think this will work.”

  “I do.” Greg was confident he could pull it off if Tito could keep him distracted long enough.

  “This isn’t good you know. Now we’re going to both have to stay at that apartment during the day. If something happens to Ericka.” He shook his head.

  “Then she’ll be all alone, truly.”

  Greg didn’t like the thought. Both of her protectors would be tied up and unable to help her. He would just pray God’s protection over her.

  Besides, with Charles out of the picture Ericka should be able to move freely without concern.

  He wouldn’t worry about Ericka. She could take care of herself. Right now, they had bigger fish to fry.

  Discovering what Dove was up to and why was of paramount concern. Now Alpha Team and Beta Team would be working together to make that happen.

  He couldn’t wait.

  Excerpt from Discovery, Ericka Stone Case #007

  Ericka entered Houston Valley near the Cherokee National Forest. She’d taken scenic roads the entire way. This one might not have been the best idea. Tall pines felt like they closed in on her as she drove along the long, narrow, curvy road.

  She’d stopped at a campground and had lunch not that long ago, but now she wished that was where she’d stayed. People had been there. Little kids had played on playground equipment. Families had had picnics. It had been a while since she’d been around that. Mostly it was just the interior of the rental car.

  That was getting old quick.

  Before getting off the Interstate, the cruise control had been acting funny. It would just shut off for no reason. She’d thought about stopping in the small town close to the Interstate and having it checked out, but it was a Sunday, and nothing was open so she’d kept going.

  The road widened offering a shoulder in some places. She came around a curve. Lights on the dashboard began to wink off and on. The door locks started going up and down. Ericka pulled over onto the side of the road and stopped the vehicle. When she tried to start it again, the motor sputtered but nothing happened.

  She pulled out her phone, but she couldn’t get a signal. Grabbing her purse, she locked the car and started walking along the edge of the road looking for some kind of signal.

  She must have walked two miles. The car had long disappeared from her vision.

  If she didn’t see someone soon, she was going to turn around and go back to the car. Hopefully someone would come through and she could ask for help or a ride.

  Around the next corner she stopped. On the side of the road was a newly painted white cross. Flowers were draped across the middle. A figure was hunched over before it.

  She eased closer.

  She swallowed.

  She should go back to the car.

  She should wait for help.

  Something told her to keep going.

  The hunched figure rose. “Can I help you?”

  “I-I well, my vehicle died back down the road.”

  “Oh. Well, I have a vehicle around the other side of this curve. Let me give you a lift to my house and you can call a tow truck.” She pointed at the cell phone. “You’ll not be using that out here. No tower.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  Ericka followed her, all too aware that she was getting farther and farther from her car. As they approached the woman’s rickety truck, she hoped she was doing the right thing. One thing she knew was if she wanted to discover information on her family, she couldn’t stay out here. She had to keep moving.

  Discovery, Ericka Stone Case #007, coming by March 15, 2024

 

 

  Felicia Rogers, Reckless, Ericka Stone Case #006

 

 

  Thank you for reading books on GrayCity.Net
Share this book with friends