Mr. CEO(130)

The sirens are getting closer, and I nod. “I love you, Andrea.”

“I love you too, oniichan.”

We leave the library, and in the foyer I see Nathan waiting for us. “The police are at the front of the driveway, waiting on the search warrant. I closed the gate to slow them down, but it won't stop them for long. I'd recommend not taking the streets to get out. There's some ATVs in the stable area, that'd be better.”

“Lead on,” I instruct, and Nathan's moving, his pistol out just in case, taking us out the side entrance, the three of us running over to the two quad runners and jumping on. We fire them up, Andrea hanging onto me as we haul ass out the back and up the fire road that leads deeper into the woods. “Where's Maverick?”

“A safe place,” Nathan yells back, the wind tearing the words from his mouth almost before I can hear them, pointing to the right as we reach a fork in the trail. We take it, roaring at top speed as the sun rises. We're approaching noon, but here, on the edge of the swamps, the mists are still rising from the ground and the visibility is diminishing.

Nathan holds up his hand, slowing his ATV as we reach another split in the trail. “Here's where we split up. The cops shouldn't be looking for us, but still... better safe than sorry.”

“Where are we?” I ask, and Nathan points to our right. “What's that way?”

“Two miles that direction is the Jean Lafitte Golf Course. I'd suggest walking in order to avoid attention. My path goes the other way.”

I look at the trail he's going to go, wondering where life is going to take him, and give him an appreciative look. “Thank you, Nathan. For everything.”

Nathan nods, and offers Andrea his hand, and they shake.

Andrea nods, and they share an unspoken appreciation. Nathan starts his ATV again, twists the throttle, then stops before he can put the vehicle in motion. Reaching into his suit pocket, he takes out a small envelope, like the kind you'd find a kid's Valentine's card in. “I promised someone that I'd give this to you after you spoke with Peter. I hope it brings you happiness, Jackson.”

I take the envelope, and see that inside there's a slip of paper. “Where will you go, Nathan?”

He considers for a moment, then gives me a half-smile that's slightly sad. “To go see Aisha. I've got some more debts to balance before then though. Take care of yourself, Jackson DeLaCoeur.”

He offers his hand and we shake, and I'm left wondering as the old warrior puts his ATV in gear and rides off toward the bayou. Andrea and I watch him for a minute, then I turn to her, and I see she's already pulled her backpack onto her shoulders. “You ready?”

“Just a minute,” I say, tearing open the envelope and looking inside. There's a single piece of paper, an address in Federal City written on it. “Federal City. What's there?”

“Only way to find out is to go,” Andrea says, cinching the straps on her backpack tight. I put the paper back in the envelope and tuck the whole thing in my pocket. “Come on. Walk with me one more time?”

I take her hand, and we start down the trail. I've got a hundred dollars in my wallet, and as we walk, I toss one of the handguns into a nearby pond, where it barely makes a plop as it sinks below the murky, greenish water. So as the golf course comes into view, I've got a hundred dollars, one handgun, and the clothes on my back. The rest of it is useless junk, now probably frozen or soon to be frozen credit cards, a driver's license, and other assorted crap, but I've never felt freer, or richer, in my entire life.

Katrina was right. Without the money, or I guess the strings that come with the DeLaCoeur money, I've got a lot more freedom. It's more valuable than anything else.





Chapter 28





Kat





The local news is buzzing as the sun sets, and I sit on the floor of my hideout, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be. Darcy surprised me about forty-five minutes ago, showing up with a chocolate cake. “Happy Birthday,” she says, handing it over. “It's only from the supermarket, but I thought you'd like it anyway.”

“Thanks, but it isn't my birthday,” I say, confused. “You know that isn't until October.”

“No, today's your real birthday. You're born again today,” Darcy says. “I left Henry with Jeff. He understands, and he's just grateful that he's not on-duty today. Tomorrow, though, he's not looking forward to work for the short-term. It's gonna hit the fan.”

“I bet. Thanks for coming by. Have you heard from Andrea or Jackson?”

“Nope. You heard from Nathan, I take it?”

I nod, taking the cake and leading her into the loft. It's small, but for the past three weeks, it's been a good enough place to crash. I sit down on the couch, and Darcy pauses before sitting down, looking at the small box on the table. She does a double take and points once she recognizes the name that's upside down on the box. “Is that?”

“Yep. I'm late, and wanted to be sure.”

Darcy picks it up, and sees that it's empty. “You took the test.”

I nod. “I did.”

She gives me a sideways glance, and half a smile. “I've known you for six years, Katrina. You wouldn't be playing coy with me unless the results were something I'd like. Congratulations.”