Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ash
One hour later. Angel’s Spot.
The soothing sound of the small waterfall was background noise for the concert of wildlife all around me.
I tipped my head back, my eyes on the top of the fall, scanning the large boulders, slick with moss.
The sun hit the mist just right, creating a small rainbow against the rocky backdrop.
Various shades of green, from sage to a rich dark emerald, blanketed the landscape.
I trailed the length of the falls down to the small pond, watching the ripples distort nature’s reflection.
This was Angel’s Spot.
She’d mentioned it to me once or twice before.
On Wednesday’s, she would come out here in the mornings and stay until mid-afternoon, meditating, journaling, taking photos, and just immersing herself in all this beauty.
At first, I found it cute that she used the word “magic” to describe it, but now, I knew it was nothing but the truth.
I pulled up the map on my phone, watching her dot slowly move toward me. She was about a mile away from the parking lot and then another fifteen-minute walk after that. Part of me wanted to go and meet her. But that would ruin it for her. She wanted to find me here, waiting for her.
So, for her, I didn’t mind waiting.
I pulled off my backpack, dropping it onto the dirt path after I grabbed my water.
The cool, crisp liquid slid down my throat, and for a moment I was completely at peace.
I found a place to sit, a dry log a few feet from the water, and checked my gun.
Once a bullet was loaded into the chamber, I clipped it to the waistband of my pants and settled in, phone in hand in case she called.
She would be here in just a few minutes.
We’d have a nice lunch, and then after, once we were back home, I would debrief her on everything.
The meeting with the team this morning had gone as expected.
We each had our roles to play and hopefully, in a week’s time, the murdering bastard would be in custody and we could move on.
There was a huge chapter of my life ending, I could feel it, deep within my body; the place where Nonna told me our souls like to hide from time to time.
“I found her, Nonna,” I whispered to the water, smiling. “Anima gemella mia.” I bent my head, listening to the bird sing as more words came. “She’s with me in this lifetime. I promise to make the most of it. I promise to start living again, Nonna.”
A twig snapped right behind me and the hair on the back of my neck shot up.
Slowly, I straightened and reached for my pistol.
Something cold pressed against the back of my head and the familiar sound of a .45 magnum cocked, filling my ears, drowning out the magic I seemed to lose myself in. “Won’t do you much good, you know?”
My jaw tightened. “Tucker, what the fuck are you doing?”
He chuckled and pressed the gun harder, digging into my scalp. “Tying up loose ends, finishing the job. You know how it is.”
“No,” I replied, pressing the side buttons on my phone. Once held down for five seconds, it would send an alert to Jake. “I don’t. Is this about Benson?”
“Nah, man. Benson had it coming, honestly. We were planning on taking him out, but then he went hiding and begged for mercy. You know, pissant shit,” Tucker said casually.
“Fuck, what a beautiful place. Why did you come out here anyway? Figured you would be hightailing your ass to that fine piece you scored back in Astoria.” He laughed, letting out a low whistle.
“She’d sell for at least five million. Any man in the world would pay to have those eyes looking up at her with his cock down her throat. ”
My blood started to boil. My phone vibrated once, a signal letting me know the message had been received.
I dropped it and carefully covered it with my boot.
“Still, that’s not my business. Trafficking is too messy, complicated when it shouldn’t be.
Too many unhappy customers and not a lot of product. ”
Angel would be here any second. Fuck, I hoped Jake or someone had her on the phone right now.
Please keep her safe.
“What is this, Tuck? A side job?”
The gun was pulled away, and he came around to my front, placing it back on my temple.
I wasn’t stupid enough to make a move. He knew all of mine.
We’d trained together, after all. “Nah, man, this is an unfinished job,” he growled.
“Do you know how fucking frustrating it was to find out that you were still alive after I sent you into Devil’s Den? ”
My ears began to ring. “Excuse me?”
“I have to tell you, brother,” he said, grinning, “you’re a hard son of a bitch to kill. I thought I had you during that second tour, I really did. Then there you were, jumping out of the flames like a god, carrying a civilian to safety. After you joined Red Snake, I knew you’d be untouchable.”
I said nothing, staring up at him as my mind tried to piece everything together. “You’ve been trying to kill me?”
He yawned, nodding. “For a good minute, and trust me, I wanted to leave you be.” He faked a wince. “But the reward for taking down the SEAL who killed the terrorist leader, Nightshade? Talk about a fucking pay load. I’d be set for life, man. You know?”
“Nightshade was a team assignment,” I reminded him. “My bullet just happened to be the one to kill him.”
“And the whole world knew it,” he drawled. “Your faceless pictures were on every fucking news station for weeks, don’t you remember? Hell, the President wanted to meet you, and you declined. Now, why is that?”
“We served together,” I clipped. “I saved your fucking life.”
Tucker, all six foot three of him, couldn’t care less. I’d always suspected he was a sociopath, but this…
“And why should I obey orders from men who couldn’t care less about me in the long run.
Thank fuck I didn’t get my limbs blown off like Chung.
The VA has been slowly trying to kill him for over a decade.
Refusing to refill his pain meds, denying him physical therapy, taking away his pension…
the list is endless. I only joined to kill, man.
And then something better came along; a price on your head for killing Nightshade. ”
“You fucking bastard.”
He shrugged. “Followed you down to Texas after discovering you were working a job for Benson. He was in some hot water back then…but here comes the fucking hero, Ash! Saving the last Benson girl. God, you looked like such a hero scaling the side of that house.” He clicked his tongue and pointed to my shoulder.
“Also, sorry about the shoulder. I didn’t mean to clip you there.
I was aiming for your heart.” He smiled again.
“You and I both know I’m no good at long-range shots. ”
He was the one who shot me in the back that day
I leaned forward, pressing his gun back. “Let’s see if you miss me now,” I growled.
He wagged his finger. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. I may be a killer, but I’m not about to do it here. This place is too pretty for that.” His eyes lifted up, staring at something or someone behind me.
No. Angel.
Pain sliced through my head.
Everything went black.
Angel.
Anima gemella mia.
Don’t leave me again.