Drift Away (Noah Braddock Mysteries) (29 page)

“Why are your hands up?” Jackson asked.

“We all just playing a game right now,” Red said quickly. His eyes shifted to me. “Right?”

“Right,” I said. “There are more people downstairs.”

Jackson’s eyes filled with anxiety and his arms tightened around my neck. “Is the mean boy there?”

“The mean boy?”

“He would always come up to the room and tell me to be quiet and stuff,” he said. “He said mean things about Mommy.”

I looked at Red.

“
Hanson
,” he said.

“Yeah, he’s down there,” I said to Jackson. “But he’s on the floor and he’s not getting up. Another friend of mine is down there, watching him.”

“Why am I here, Noah?” he said. “Did I do something wrong?”

I shifted him in my arm so I could look him in the eyes. “You didn’t do anything wrong and you weren’t supposed to be here. But it’s not your fault. Okay?”

Tears bulged in the corners of his eyes. “Okay.”

“No one’s going to take you away from your mom,” Alex said. “Ever again. I promise.”

Jackson buried his head against my shoulder and there was something in Alex’s voice that I hadn’t heard before. He meant it. He’d do whatever he needed to in order to protect Jackson. Maybe it was a combination of guilt and his feelings for Bella, but whatever it was, it sounded different than anything I’d ever heard from him.

“Red, we’ll follow you down,” I said.

Red nodded and went first, followed by Alex and then me and Jackson. We descended the stairs and found everyone still on the floor, like they were frozen in time. Carter paced back and forth, a soda in the massive hand that wasn’t holding the small machine gun.

“Nobody moved, unfortunately,” he said. “And I got thirsty.  He motioned at Red. “How about him? Can I shoot him?”

“No,” I said. “You may not.”

Red got down on the floor next to the others.

Carter shrugged and smiled at Jackson. “Hey, little dude.”

Jackson smiled. “Hi. You’re really big.”

“I really am, aren’t I?”

“Like a monster or something.”

“You have no idea, little dude.”

Jackson giggled and buried his face on my shoulder again.

“Everyone but
Hanson
. Get up,” I said.

There was some momentary indecision, but the five others on the floor finally stood.
Hanson
stayed flat against the ground.

“Put them in a closet,” I said to Carter. “Or someplace. I don’t care where. Secure. Lock them in.”

“Can I shoot anyone?” he asked.

“Only if necessary.”

“Define necessary.”

“Anyone breathes the wrong way.”

“Perfect.” Carter grinned. “Let’s go find a room, ladies!  And if this thing goes off accidentally, I’ll just apologize now.”

He herded them together and they shuffled off down the hall.

Alex and I flanked the couch and I set Jackson down. He stayed right next to my leg.

“Get up,” I said to
Hanson
. “On the couch.”

Hanson
got to his hands and knees, then moved over to the couch. A nice red welt had formed on his cheek where I’d kicked him.

“Jackson, will you do me a favor, buddy?” I said.

Jackson nodded.

“Will you go with Alex and check out the kitchen? See if you can find me something to drink?” I asked. “A soda or something?”

“Can I get one, too?”

“Sure.”

He walked in a wide arc around
Hanson
and over to Alex. I nodded and Alex took him around the corner and into the kitchen.

I looked at
Hanson
. “I hope you’re listening because this is the last time we are ever going to talk.”

“Oh, fuck you, man,” he said. “You’re dead as soon as I
…
”

I reached out and grabbed him by the hair and slammed him to the floor, coming down on top of him. I turned him over and straddled his chest.

“Open your mouth,” I said.

Blood trickled from his nose and the defiance in his words was absent from his eyes.

“Open your mouth,” I said.

He kept it shut.

I took the end of the gun and pressed it to his lips. He squirmed beneath me.

“Open or I’ll make my own hole,” I said.

His lips finally parted and I shoved the gun into his mouth.

“Let’s try again,” I said. “Ready to listen?”

He made a nodding movement, his eyes glued to the gun in his mouth.

“Good,” I said. “We’re never going to talk again. And you’re going to choose how that happens. You leave Bella alone and you’ll never see me again after today. That’s option number one. Nod or gag or something if you understand.”

He made the nodding motion again.

“Well done,” I said. “Option number two. Pay close attention. If you so much as say hello to Bella again, I will come and kill you. Just like this. We’ll be on the floor again, you’ll be eating the gun and I’ll pull the trigger. Several times. We won’t talk. I’ll just kill you.”  I leaned down over him, my eyes inches from his. “And I’m guessing you know enough about me now from Zip to know I’ve done it before. So taking you out will be like scraping gum off my shoe. Easy and quick. We clear?”

He made the nodding motion again.

I pulled the gun from his mouth and pressed it against his left eye. He squirmed again, but couldn’t move me.

“And if you so much as breathe on her kid again, I’m gonna let my friend play with you,” I said. “For a long time.”  I pressed harder against his eyes. “Tell me you understand.”

“I understand,” he whispered.

There was a part of me that just wanted to end his life right there, to give everyone the peace of mind they needed to know he’d never bother Bella again. But I’d done that before and it hadn’t given me what I’d hoped it would. It had given me more than I could handle. In every way.

I pulled the gun from his eye and stood up. “Get on the couch.”

Hanson
pushed himself up and fell back on to the couch, blood still trickling from his nose. He wiped at his mouth and stared at me.

“You keep looking at me like that and you’re going to lose one of those eyes,” I said.

He moved his gaze to his knees.

Carter came back into the room behind me. “I found a really tiny hall closet and wedged all of them in there. Then I tied the door shut with a curtain cord.”

“Nice work.”

“I’ve still got it.”

“I’ll say.”

“Now what?  He motioned at
Hanson
. “We bury his body somewhere?”

Hanson
couldn’t help but glance in his direction.

Carter smiled at him.

“No,” I said. “He knows he can walk out of here if he behaves himself.”

“Can’t believe I came all this way and I don’t get to shoot anyone,” Carter said. “Seems so anti-climactic.”

“Maybe we can find someone on the way home.”

“Jesus, I hope so.”

Hanson
stared at us like he couldn’t decide if we were serious or insane.

I was comfortable with him wondering.

“So are we good then?” Carter asked.

“Think so,” I said.

And we were until Bella opened the front door, holding a gun.

FIFTY-ONE

Bella aimed Alex’s gun squarely at
Hanson
. “I want him dead.”

Carter grinned. “This your wife?”

I positioned myself between her and David, the gun now aimed at my chest. “No, Bella. We’re cool. We don’t need to do this.”

Carter backed up and stepped out of the line of fire. I knew he was moving to a spot where he could take out Bella if he needed to. I glanced at him and shook my head.

“We don’t.”  She held the gun steady. “
I
do.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Don’t tell me what I need, Noah,” she said. She sidestepped me, bringing David back into her sight. Her arms shook as she re-leveled the gun. “Don’t tell me what I need. You aren’t the one he’s after. Knowing he can come after me whenever he wants. Knowing he can take my son whenever he wants. That he can fuck up my life in about a million other ways. You don’t have to live with any of that. I do.”  Her eyes narrowed. “But not if he’s dead.”

“It’ll make things worse,” I said.

“Not for me it won’t,” she said. “Can’t get any worse. He took my son. And he’ll do it again.”

“No, he won’t,” I said. I stepped toward her, my arm outstretched. “It’s taken care of.”

“Noah, I’ll shoot you if you don’t move,” she said. “I don’t want to, but I will.”

I could see Carter shift his gun in his hands. I glanced at him again, but he was focused on her. He didn’t lower the gun and I knew he’d pull the trigger before she ever got a shot off.